After a day off because of the natural gas interruption, all Titus County schools will be open as normal Thursday. Meanwhile, CenterPoint Energy continues response to the natural gas outage that is affecting several thousand customers in and around Mt. Vernon, Mt. Pleasant, Winfield and Talco.
The outage was the result of a service interruption from the company’s natural gas supplier, which has been resolved. According to the Camp County Emergency Management Coordinator John Cortelyou, a construction company was digging along County Road 4114 Thursday and struck a pipeline with a trackhoe.
One worker received a non-life threatening injury and was taken to the hospital. Other workers were treated at the scene for minor injuries. The pipeline was shut off and the gas was let out of it.
“Safety is our number-one priority as we work to restore natural gas service,” said Mike Maxwell, district director for CenterPoint Energy. “As part of our safety procedures, to ensure that there is no air in the natural gas distribution lines we started the process of turning off each customer’s natural gas meter this morning and anticipate completing this activity later today.
“We will then work to ensure that the natural gas distribution lines are clear of air. Once the lines are clear, our qualified service technicians will begin performing a series of safety checks to ensure there is no risk involved in restoring gas service,” Maxwell added. “To perform these inspections, CenterPoint Energy service technicians will need to enter each home or business. We have also brought in technicians from other parts of the state, as well as support from Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Mississippi, to assist in restoring gas service.
“There is no need to call us as we make our initial assessments,” Maxwell said. “Once our safety checks are complete, we anticipate restoring service to most customers within 48 hours. At this time, no action is required on the part of the customer. If an adult over age 18 is not at the service address when a technician arrives, the company will leave a door hanger with instructions.”
For safety reasons, the company urges customers not to turn any valves or tamper with the natural gas meter. Opening or turning any valves could allow air to enter the natural gas lines, which would hinder the restoration process.
For updates, follow CenterPoint Energy on Twitter: @CNPAlerts and Facebook.
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