Utility Shut-off & Safety in an Emergency

If a crisis hits your home, neighborhood, town, state or region it pays to be able to locate and shut off your utilities before they can compound the problem.

Knowing where your utility mains are and how to operate them is key to household safety and can significantly decrease property damage during and after an emergency. 

Make sure every member of your household is familiar with the location of your main water, electric and gas switches and valves and knows how to operate them.

If the crisis is slow moving, where you have some time to prepare, like a hurricane – shut off your utilities BEFORE the crisis hits.  This greatly reduces the chances of additional sparks, floods, gas leaks and the like and keeps you much safer in your home during the crisis to boot.

Most municipal utility shut-offs require some kind of tool.  Each utility has its own versions of the various meters and such to shut off any gas, electric, water, propane and sewer intakes to your home.  So be sure to contact your local utilities and or propane, well and septic system vendors for specific information on your systems.  Also, be sure to measure exactly what size each of these wrenches or tools need to be, as different municipalities utilize different sized valves, switches and such.  You want a tool that fits perfectly, so it works perfectl!.

Everyday tools can work, but the going is tough and slow.  So if you have the required tools in your household emergency kit, this will save you time, energy and frustration, if not money and peace of mind too. 

Read on for guidelines on turning off your Electric Service, Water Service, Well Water, Natural Gas, Propane, Oil Furnace and Plugging your Sewer to avoid backflow  @ http://www.scribd.com/doc/142005848/Utility-Shut-Off-Safety-in-an-Emergency

Then

Keep On Preppin'

TNT