“It’s very easy to go into panic mode in times like this, especially when you see that. It’s not something we see a lot of,” Nate Stone with National Grid said.
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker declared a state of emergency for the three towns after multiple explosions forced thousands to evacuate from their homes. One person was killed.
National
Grid sent over 100 crew members to help in the rebuilding process, but the company is also letting its customers know that it’s “gas system is operating normally.”
“New York has some of the strictest gas safety measures in place,” Stone explained. “[Sniffing trucks] have sensors on the front of it, and if it detects any gas leak outside of a
main or even service pipes, it will alert and we will go and investigate.”
But if gas is leaking inside the home, it’s important to call them right away. “Get out of the house and call National Grid,” he warned.
Norman
Fields with Choice Heating and Cooling services about 500 customers in the Capital Region. He said most issues are human error.
“Especially
the gas related issues we find are the old deteriorated pipes,” he said. “Sometimes we get into issues where the home owner attempted to make a repair themselves.”
And it’s that kind of do-it-yourself repair that can turn into a bigger issue.
“Somebody will dig into the wrong place, and they’ll come into one of our lines,”
Stone said. “All it means is that the gas is dispersing into the air, and we shut it off and make the repairs.”
It’s still unknown what exactly happened in Massachusetts. One tip is to have your lines checked as the weather gets colder.
22 March 2021
