SEGUIN, Texas — CenterPoint Energy on Friday said all services in Seguin and McQueeney had been restored.
More than 4,300 customers in Seguin and McQueeney were impacted by a gas outage that began Tuesday afternoon. Utility officials said they "expect most service to be restored by Friday."
Homes and businesses alike were being affected by the community-wide outage, which CenterPoint Energy said was the result of another company "damaging its line." Hundreds of employees, contractors and "mutual assistance crews" were enlisted in an effort to restore natural gas service, typically used for heating systems and electricity generation.
The process required technicians to visit each home or business and reactive natural gas meters, CenterPoint officials said.
Food distribution event
To help out the community and those impacted by the outage of gas service, the City of Seguin partnering with Guadalupe County and the San Antonio Food Bank to host a Food Distribution Event from 1 to 3 p.m. on Friday, March 11.
You can receive free food by signing up here and then show up at the Seguin ISD Administration parking lot, located at 1221 E. Kingsbury.
Community-wide effects
The issue was affecting Seguin ISD as well. Superintendent Matthew Gutierrez on Tuesday evening said in a video statement that the district's buildings are without heat for the outage's duration, and that kids should come to school in layers.
He also said hot meals were an impossibility until service is restored.
"We will be serving meals, although they will be cold," Gutierrez said. "So if you would like to opt to send your student with a lunch, please feel free to do so. But please be aware our microwaves are limited.”
“Safety will be our number-one priority as we work to restore natural gas service to impacted customers as safely and quickly as possible,” Tal Centers, vice president of CenterPoint Energy, is quoted as saying in a statement. “As part of our safety procedures, we will start the process of turning off each customer’s natural gas meter. Repairs may take several days. Once the pipeline company finalizes its repairs, our crews will need to manually turn each meter back on.“
Meanwhile, officials with the Guadalupe Regional Medical Center said they were able to generate heat for now by converting their boiler to diesel, thanks to backup plans in the event of outages.
Guadalupe County authorities say a food distribution event has been organized for Friday at Seguin ISD's central office (1221 East Kingsbury St.), but volunteers are needed from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. To sign up to help, click here.
Food is expected to be distributed between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
Warming centers
Two Seguin locations are being utilized as warming centers during CenterPoint's ongoing effort to restore service.
- Seguin Public Library (313 West Nolte St.), open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
- Hillcrest Church (1440 Eastwood Dr.).
Outage safety
Seguin officials shared tips if they remain without heating due to the outage, including closing doors to unused rooms to maximize warm; never using a stove or oven to heat the home; and keeping generators in a well-ventilated area.
For safety reasons, the utility also 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," they said.
And, if you smell natural gas, you should leave the area immediately and not turn on or operate anything that might cause a spark, like using light switches or cellphones, they said.
