Storm Watch

Hurricane Advisory for Gas Customers

Preparations before the hurricane

Check all appliances to ensure they are in good working condition.
Check your yard for loose materials that could be blown around by strong hurricane winds. Place all lawn furniture, hoses, garden ornaments, etc, inside your house or garage. These loose items could damage the natural gas meter set.
It is not necessary to turn off gas service. If you are not required to evacuate your home or business, your natural gas service should operate uninterrupted throughout the storm.

If required to evacuate your home or business

Do not turn off your gas supply at the main meter. That valve should be turned on or off by emergency utility personnel only.
If you choose to do so, you may turn off gas to individual appliances at the supply valve near each unit. Most city codes now call for a small supply turnoff valve to be located within six feet of each gas appliance. Locate the turnoff valve for each of your gas appliances and familiarize yourself with its operation before a storm occurs.

After the hurricane

Note: If, due to communication problems, you are not able to contact your local gas company, call 911 for assistance.

Immediately call the gas company if you smell natural gas (odor of rotten eggs) or see a broken gas line.
Immediately evacuate to another location if you smell a strong odor of natural gas (odor of rotten eggs) inside the home or building. Ventilate the area by opening windows or leaving a door open. Call the gas company from a telephone outside of the home or building. Additionally do not light any matches, turn on any light switches, or use the telephone. Any of these actions could ignite gas that may have accumulated.
Do not cover a natural gas vent with tarps or other coverings. When protecting damaged roofs, be sure to allow air to flow through the natural gas vent. Blocking the vent can create a potential hazard of carbon monoxide poisoning. Check the Appliance Sales and Service Providers listed, or call Peoples Gas at 1-877-832-6747 option 4 for a provider nearest you.
After the hurricane, if you have any questions or have any difficulty relighting the pilot lights on your appliances, call your plumber, qualified appliance service contractor or your gas company, so they may assist you in locating a qualified appliance service contractor.
If your home or business was flooded and the gas appliances were under water, do not attempt to operate the appliances. Contact your plumber, or a qualified appliance service contractor or your gas company, so they may assist you in locating a qualified appliance service contractor for a safety inspection.
Before removing fallen trees, always call for the location of utility lines. Gas, electric, telephone, water, sewer and cable lines may be entangled in the root system of the fallen trees. Call 1-800-432-4770. The call and the location service are free.

Always ask for identification before allowing anyone to enter your home.

In cases of outages due to damaged lines, the gas company’s primary responsibility is to make the affected area safe. After the area has been made safe, service to the affected customers will be restored as soon as possible.
Refrain from calling the gas company during these times, unless you have an emergency such as a smell of gas. That way, we may respond to emergencies as quickly as possible.
Do call the gas company if you do not have gas service after the gas service has been restored in your area.

1-877 TECO PGS (1-877-832-6747)