Workers Hustle to Restore Gas Service in Quake Area

Joseph Dea was beginning to feel a bit foolish Monday as Southern California Gas Co. service representative Elias Garcia searched in vain for a leak in the computer operator’s Alhambra home.

Having been awakened from his solid slumber by the powerful aftershock early Sunday, Dea, 68, smelled gas near his damaged chimney--or at least thought he did--and turned off his main service valve.

But after a 30-minute sensor inspection of Dea’s chimney, water heater, stove and outdoor meter, Garcia turned up no problem.

Finally, the 17-year gas company employee reached under Dea’s living room floor to perform his final task, checking and relighting the floor furnace pilot light. At that point, the sensor went berserk, sounding off like a buzz saw gone wild.

“Now I feel better . . . it makes me happy to know I wasn’t dreaming,” Dea said with ironic satisfaction.

Garcia smiled as he removed a cracked copper connection, which could have led to a catastrophe if Dea had not shut off the gas line in time.

Since Thursday’s major earthquake, similar situations have occurred time and again as hundreds of gas company representatives work tiring overtime hours to restore service to customers concentrated primarily in the Whittier, Pasadena and downtown Los Angeles areas.

More than 13,000 service calls--many from customers who actually turned their gas off needlessly--were received by the utility after the initial temblor, which measured 6.1 on the Richter scale.

Then just as the service representatives were ready to catch up with their workload Sunday, the pre-dawn 5.5 aftershock led to a new barrage of calls.

According to Customer Services Manager Jim Taylor, service representatives have responded immediately to true emergencies, in which callers have heard the ominous sound of gas hissing from broken lines or have continued to smell its distinctive odor even after closing their valves.

In other cases, like Dea’s, gas company employees have sought to show up within a day or two to inspect lines and restore service. But making matters more difficult in the wake of the initial temblor were the significant number of customers who shut off their gas without having heard hissing or smelled a leak.

Incorrect Information

Of those turned off, by far the majority were people who did so because of inaccurate information they received through television or radio, Taylor said. “We’re still in the throes of dealing with those calls.

A lot of people have been inconvenienced needlessly, he said, because they did not have to turn their gas off. “They have no hot water for baths, they can’t cook meals and if it had happened when it was cold, it would have caused a heating problem.”

To help cope with the overload, crews in the hard-hit Southeast Los Angeles County area have worked overtime through the weekend, many putting in 12-hour days. They have also been assisted by backup workers from other gas company districts in the county that are not as busy.

The 30-strong Alhambra district work force has been doubled during the crisis, according to supervisor Jerry Chavez. On Sunday, when one employee would normally handle emergencies, about 30 workers were responding to calls.

Sought Assistance

Unless more major aftershocks occur overnight Monday, all customers who have sought assistance from the utility should receive it by this afternoon, Taylor said.

In the future, Taylor added, residents should remember not to turn off their gas valves unless they smell gas or hear a hissing sound. Detailed information on procedures to follow are included in the front pages of most telephone directories, he noted.