When severe weather strikes and you lose power for days most natural gas appliances like water heaters and ranges still work because natural gas is delivered through a safe underground pipeline system.

For the best defense against power outages, Chattanooga Gas recommends a natural gas generator. You'll have enough power to run all of your appliances and even your air conditioning. Fueled continually by natural gas, most generators are fully automatic. Within seconds of an outage, the unit comes on, supplies power, and switches off when power returns.

Call our Energy Connection Center at 1-866-643-4169 to learn more about natural gas generators.

To help you further prepare for hurricane season, below are some safety tips:

• During severe weather, do not turn the natural gas off to your home, even if evacuated.
• If you smell natural gas, immediately leave the house and call our 24-hour emergency response line, at 1-866-643-4170 .
• NEVER try to identify the source of a natural gas leak yourself.
• After severe weather, if a natural gas meter is damaged by fallen debris or is under water or you do not have gas service, immediately report it by calling our 24-hour emergency response line at 1-866-643-4170 .
• For more information about severe weather preparedness, visit the Department of Homeland Security’s Web site:  http://www.ready.gov