While Humboldters work on perfecting their tipped-over item earthquake memes, PG&E writes the Outpost with a few common sense reminders of things to be mindful of after your area experiences an above average shaker. Without further ado:

The safety of our customers, employees and the communities we serve is our top priority.  PG&E facilities have not been affected by the 6.5 magnitude earthquake that was centered off the coast just west of Ferndale at 6:59 a.m. this morning.  There were no outages due to seismic activity and no gas odor reports.  However, we do ask customers be prepared for aftershocks. If you smell gas, experience an outage or see a downed line, please call 1-800-743-5002.

PG&E routinely prepares for and practices its response to earthquakes through company exercises and through drills with local first responders.  We use earthquake damage models to help determine the potential location of equipment damage and to help prioritize where to dispatch assessment and repair crews.  In the event of a power outage, PG&E would use the latest technology to help restore power safely, quickly and efficiently after an earthquake. This includes the installation of automated equipment that “self-heals” the grid as well as timely and accurate outage data from our SmartMeter network.

There are currently 4 customers in Westport and Covelo whose power is affected due to overnight storm damage.