In the lessons learned department, personnel from municipal natural gas systems who are pitching in to help out systems damaged by the Gulf Coast hurricanes, have some suggestions about preparedness. For one thing, have a duplicate system map stored somewhere above high water, preferably with another utility system operator; And, if you’re going into unfamiliar territory to help out, take your own water, fuel, food — and a GPS locator because flattened road signs aren’t going to be any help.

Members of the American Public Gas Association (APGA) are still working in some of the damaged areas. Having started with impromptu volunteer efforts in communities in Mississippi, they have put out a formal call for Mutual Aid for Louisiana and now are setting up a Louisiana staging area. A recent bulletin put out by APGA said they still need personnel and particularly need several line locater and leak detection teams into Delcambre, LA as soon as possible. Those wanting to help should contact Bill Coffeen (Mobile Gas, Eastern Staging Area Coordinator) at 251-450-4737 or bcoffeen@mobile-gas.com .

They also need supervisors who can organize and assign work crews for various functions:

And they need work crews skilled at those functions. Due to the debris, smaller trucks or 4-wheelers with trailer are needed Also, urgently needed are Type 175 and 250 gas meters and 1 x 1 and 1 x 3/4 service regulators. Also needed are Meter Locks, 2″, 3″, 4″ Poly Valves, and 2″, 3″, 4″ Transition Fittings.

The APGA has begun a chronicle in its Public Gas News of eyewitness reports from early responders, who include personnel from Alagasco, Athens, Clark-Mobile, Corinth Gas and Water, Daphne Gas, Energy Services of Pensacola, Florida Public Utilities, Fayetteville Gas, Lake County Utility District, Mobile Gas, Okaloosa Gas, Philadelphia Gas Works, Piedmont Gas, Riviera Utilities, Southeast Gas District, Trussville Utilities, Yankee Gas, Municipal Gas Authority of Georgia, City of Lawrenceville, City of Maplesville, City of Winder, Hodge Enterprises, MGAG Employees. Numerous other companies also are sending supplies and work crews, APGA said. You can read the accounts, including photos at https://www.apga.org/Katrina_Issue-web.pdf

Some excerpts from APGA’s Public Gas News chronicle:

Ron Lilly, Corinth Gas in Mississippi:

Lilly suggests that along with system diagrams, valve sheets and key-valve maintenance are key to returning service. And he observed that “after the humanitarian needs are met, communities demand that the electrical, water, sewer and natural gas utilities be operational – and in almost every case, in that order.

“Speaking of water, many communities and rural water systems would have continued to have water if their auxiliary motors and generators for operating pumps had been fueled with natural gas. When the auxiliary equipment ran out of fuel, there was none to refuel with in the near geographic area.

“Damage to natural gas distribution systems ranged from minimal to total devastation,” Lilly observed. “But there was not really any system with what may be called moderate damage.”

Bill Coffeen, Mobile Gas in Mobile, AL:

“We immediately began sending trucks into Mississippi to determine need and deliver water, food, ice and other needed materials. APGA did an excellent job of getting public gas systems organized to help in what is proving to be the biggest disaster recovery effort in the history of the gas industry.”

Mobile Gas worked well for a staging area for work in Mississippi communities, Coffeen said. Even though downtown Mobile and coast communities were flooded, Mobile Gas is inland. “We have our own power generators, very thick walls, gas air conditioning, fuel, a warehouse of parts, a garage, and mechanics. We also have an auditorium that has a capacity of more than 200 people and where 34 volunteer crew members from across the country were spending the night on cots as of Tuesday, September 20th. Our facilities are manned 24/7 and volunteer work crews can come back to a safe and comfortable place each night.

“Every morning, Mobile Gas fuels the trucks, give the crews a big breakfast, and packs each man a good-sized lunch to make them as self-sufficient as possible while they do their work,” Coffeen told APGA.

“The initial help our industry gave to our neighboring utilities was basic survival items and materials to secure their system like plugs. We are now moving to repair municipal systems to pre-disaster conditions.”

Coffeen continued “In some communities everything within a half-mile of the Gulf of Mexico was destroyed….block after block of homes have disappeared. All the gas department could do to react to Katrina was turn the whole system off at the city-gate station. We brought fuel for the generator in the Waveland, MS fire hall, which had remained standing. This was used as a base of operations in town. Our industry was the first to get people in Waveland water, food, fuel, clothes, cots and other essential materials. Recovery will be especially hard for the cities like Waveland because they not only lost their homes and businesses, but they have lost all city revenue. With no water system, no sewer system and no gas system, these towns no longer have money coming in to pay for community services or pay city employees.”

“We began with assessment of the damage, then development of recovery plans, line locates, leak detection, removal of regulators and meters and now the placement of new meters, regulators and activating meters. At this point, we are working to restore gas to homes and businesses when they are ready to resume active service. We have been increasing the number of crews on the ground as we have been able to make space for more volunteers.”

Chuck Good, Energy Services of Pensacola, FL:

“People literally can’t find the stakes of their houses, and nothing was still on its foundation within 1/2 mile of the Coast,” Good said. His company’s crews first worked to “identify lines and to turn off gas valves to the waterfront. Utilizing a small track hoe to dig up gas mains that had been located they then installed valves, taken from the combined resources of all the systems working in the area, and turned the lines off.

“The entire next week was spent identifying 900 homes with risers and meters and verifying they were off. after Pensacola’s experience with Hurricane Ivan, we have offered our assistance to the towns affected by Katrina to help them navigate through the FEMA paperwork.”

Good told APGA “there has been no distinction between IOU’s and public gas utilities; the industry has come together with support.”

Gordon King, of Okaloosa Gas in Florida:

There are many lessons to be learned from this experience. After Katrina, a lot of gas companies have been re-evaluating emergency response plans. More mutual aid agreements have been officially set up which will speed reconstruction.

“Pre-planning for a worst-case scenario such as Katrina will help in the aftermath of a similar storm. Along the same lines, having an organized Gulf Coast damage team to go in right after the next big hurricane to start conducting an assessment would help.”

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