The following information is an update for customers in the Red Lion, Dallastown and Windsor areas currently without natural gas service.
Thursday, March 6, 2003, 11:00 a.m. UPDATE
New Information:
- As of 11 a.m., service was restored to most of the 7,000 accounts in the Red Lion outage. The final accounts are classified as "could not get in," meaning multiple unsuccessful attempts have been made to re-establish service.
- Columbia Gas has attempted to contact all known customers affected by the Red Lion outage. If you do not have service and have not been contacted, call Columbia Gas at 888-460-4332.
- Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania will resume normal operations in the outage area, meaning all additional personnel will be released and will return to their respective home operating territories/companies.
- Columbia Gas appreciates the patience of all our customers during this outage, the cooperation of local officials and the assistance of the various media outlets to keep customers informed.
- Customers who were unavailable will see a door tag alerting them to call Columbia Gas at 888-460-4332. Columbia Gas appreciates the patience of all our customers during this situation.
- During the re-light process, the responding utility representative may be from a utility company other than Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania. However, all utility workers will have photo identification and most will drive clearly marked company vehicles.
- Customers using portable/alternative heating devices must maintain proper venting and adhere to manufacturer specifications to ensure safety.
- If you smell an odor of natural gas inside your residence/business, and suspect that it is not associated with work in your area, please contact Columbia Gas at 888-460-4332.
** The American Red Cross has closed its remaining shelter (Red Lion High School). All customers who were using the shelters have had natural gas service restored.
Recap:
- At approximately 7:30 a.m. Monday morning, natural gas service to approximately 7,000 Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania customers in the greater Red Lion, Dallastown Borough, Yoe, Windsor Borough and Windsor Township was disrupted.
- The gas outage was caused by a lower pressure problem on the Columbia distribution line feeding the Red Lion area. Columbia Gas will continue investigating the outage to identity the cause but most of the effort at this time is directed to reestablishing service to our customers.
- Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania is one of 10 local distribution companies that are subsidiaries of NiSource, Inc. In addition to local Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania employees, Columbia crews from Ohio, Kentucky, Maryland and Virginia are assisting in this outage.
- Columbia Gas has also received assistance from Baltimore Gas and Electric, UGI, Philadelphia Gas Works, Williams Gas Services (and contractor for Washington Gas and Light), Danella Contracting.
- In all, more than 300 qualified service technicians were involved in the restoration effort.
Background:
- Natural gas outages are very rare. This is the largest natural gas outage that Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania has experienced. Most outages are the result of third party damage. However we do maintain emergency response plans to handle and staff for outages of this size.
- First a crisis team assessed any critical need customers (hospitals, care facilities, state institutions, schools, etc.). We worked with these facilities to make sure they have what they need. Most of these groups have backup or alternate utility sources available. Columbia Gas also worked with the York County 911 Center to coordinate efforts and responses.
- Shelters were established at Red Lion High School and Dallastown Middle School. We also tried to identify critical need residential customers such as disabled or elderly. In all cases the actions taken varied depending on weather on other circumstances.
The process:
- There are certain procedures that must be followed to reestablish natural gas service to a customer. The procedures are driven by safety and concern for a customer's well being.
- Columbia Gas personnel must close all meters valves or curb values to restrict the flow natural gas into that location.
- Once gas is reestablished to our distribution main lines, these lines must be purged. This same process must also be performed on customer service lines (the line from the curb values to the meter) and house lines (the line from the meter to the appliance).
- With the size of this outage, this will be a lengthy process. The later stages are also dependent on access to the residence or business.
How will this happen:
- Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania is one of 10 local distribution companies that are subsidiaries of NiSource, Inc. In addition to local Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania employees, Columbia crews from Ohio, Kentucky, Maryland and Virginia have arrived or are in route to assist with the restoration process.
- Columbia Gas has also asked for and received assistance from Baltimore Gas and Electric, UGI, Philadelphia Gas Works, Williams Gas Services (and contractor for Washington Gas and Light), and Danella Contracting.
- In all, more than 300 qualified service technicians will be assisting in this process.
What customers need to do:
- To aid in the re-light process customers can either leave a note on their door indicating where they can be reached or call Columbia Gas at 888-460-4332 to leave contact information.
- If a Columbia Gas or other utility representative arrives at an unoccupied location, they will leave a door tag with instructions on how to contact Columbia Gas. All will have appropriate identification.
- Customers are also urged to check on family members or elderly neighbors to make sure they ok or to alert them of available services.
Miscellaneous:
- Customers using portable heating devices must maintain proper venting and adhere to manufacturer specifications to ensure safety.
- Prolonged exposure to cold temperatures can result in hypothermia. Symptoms include slow or slurred speech, incoherence, and memory loss. If anyone is experiencing these symptoms please contact your local emergency response number
- Customers are advised to follow these tips to stay warm:
- Close all windows and doors, including garage doors.
- Stop drafts under doors by using draft stoppers and caulk air leaks in windows.
- Wear layers of clothing, including gloves and a hat to help prevent loss of body heat.
- Customers who are experiencing a gas problem not related to the outage (i.e., smell of gas) should call the emergency line at 1-888-460-4332 from a neighbor's home or mobile phone.
- Periodic updates will be available on the Columbia Gas Web site at www.columbiagas.com
- There also is the possibility of frozen water pipes. Frozen water pipes are not life-threatening, however, frozen or broken water pipes can cause damage to homes. Information on preventing and thawing frozen pipes is available on our Web site, www.columbiagas.com.
The latest on the outage impacting Red Lion, Dallastown and Windsor area customers:
