PG&E Conducts Large-Scale Earthquake Exercise at New Emergency Operations Facility
January 28 2020 - 1:30PM
Business Wire
Hundreds of Employees Converge on Vacaville and
Other Locations to Practice Getting Ready for the Big One
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) conducted a
large-scale earthquake exercise on Thursday, Jan. 23, at its new
emergency operations center in Vacaville.
Hundreds of PG&E employees at that location and elsewhere
across the service area took part in the emergency exercise, which
simulated a magnitude 7.0 earthquake with the epicenter near
Oakland and subsequent aftershocks in the East Bay Area.
The company was joined by representatives of several agencies,
as either observers or participants, including the Edison Electric
Institute, the California Office of Emergency Services, the Federal
Emergency Management Agency, Bay Area Rapid Transit, the California
Public Utilities Commission, the California Independent System
Operator and the Department of Energy.
“We live in earthquake country, and seismologists say that the
Big One is not a matter of if, but when. PG&E has a plan and we
practiced executing that plan in a real world scenario. It’s
vitally important that our customers are prepared, too, by having
individual and family emergency plans, go bags and making sure
PG&E has your updated contact information,” said Mark Quinlan,
Senior Director of Emergency Preparedness and Response for
PG&E.
The simulated quake caused massive damage throughout the
nine-county Bay Area; about 1.5 million PG&E electric customers
and about 200,000 gas customers lost service. Assessments began
shortly after the quake, but the company told customers that full
restoration could take weeks, even with a large influx of
mutual-aid and contract crews.
Under the direction of the Emergency Operations Center
Commander, PG&E employees from nearly every organization from
gas and electric operations to corporate security and customer care
took part in the exercise.
The 30,000-square-foot PG&E Vacaville Emergency Response
Center opened in 2019. A purpose-built critical facility, it has
redundant utility power, backup generator power and backup and
telecom infrastructure. To improve earthquake structural
resilience, the facility was constructed to a 1.5 Importance
Factor, which is 50 percent above the California commercial
building standard. It contains emergency operations for electric,
gas and energy procurement.
Get Ready for Natural Disasters Before They Happen:
- Prepare an emergency plan and conduct an emergency drill with
your family.
- Prepare an evacuation plan for your home. Each room should have
at least two ways to escape in case one is blocked. Establish a
place where your family can reunite.
- Establish an alternative way to contact others who are not
home, such as an out-of-the-area telephone contact.
- Prepare and maintain an emergency preparedness kit with enough
supplies on hand to be self-sufficient for at least three days, and
preferably up to one week.
- Know where your gas service shutoff valve is, and how to shut
off your gas supply. The main shutoff valve is normally near your
gas meter and will require the use of a 12- to 15-inch adjustable
pipe or crescent-type wrench or other suitable tool.
- Know which of your appliances use gas and where the appliance
shutoff valves are. In some cases, turning off the gas at the
appliance shutoff valve will suffice.
- Know where the main electric switch is and how to turn off your
electric supply.
Know What to Do After an Emergency:
- Check for injuries and ensure that everyone is safe.
- Check for damage. If you smell or hear gas escaping inside your
home or business, get everyone outside immediately to a location
upwind where you no longer can smell natural gas. Do not use
electrical switches, appliances or phones because sparks can ignite
gas. Do not check for a gas leak with a match or an open flame.
Once outside, use your phone from a safe distance to call 911 and
PG&E at 1-800-743-5000.
- If you smell or hear gas escaping inside your home or business,
shut off the gas at the appliance valve or the main gas service
valve if you can do so safely.
- Once you shut off the gas, DO NOT turn it back on. Contact
PG&E or another qualified professional to perform a safety
inspection before the gas service is restored and the gas appliance
pilots are re-lit.
- If the power goes out, turn off all electric appliances to
avoid overloading circuits and fire hazards when power is restored.
Leave a single lamp on to alert you when power returns. Turn your
appliances back on one at a time when conditions return to
normal.
- During a power outage, use battery-operated flashlights
instead of candles due to the risk of fire. If you must use
candles, keep them away from drapes, lamp shades and small children
and never leave them unattended.
- Treat all downed power lines as if they are energized and
extremely dangerous. Keep yourself and others away from them. Call
911, and then notify PG&E at 1-800-743-5000.
About PG&E
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E
Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is one of the largest combined natural gas
and electric energy companies in the United States. Based in San
Francisco, with more than 20,000 employees, the company delivers
some of the nation’s cleanest energy to nearly 16 million people in
Northern and Central California. For more information, visit
pge.com and pge.com/news.
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