ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – A gas outage in St. Johns County that left businesses closed and homeowners without hot water and working stovetops continues Wednesday with TECO Engercy utility crews expected to return to neighborhoods as they work to restore gas.
TECO said Tuesday about 1,500 customers have been affected, including 84 businesses, in the areas of Bent Creek, Julington Creek, Navigators Road, Julington Lakes and Durbin.
“We mobilized additional personnel to assist and we are working as safely and quickly as possible,” a spokesperson with TECO said Tuesday. “We were able to begin initial service restoration around 4 p.m. (Tuesday).
They said work would continue through Wednesday as crews go door to door to begin the repair process by first turning off meters individually, making residents worried it is going to be a lengthy process.
“This could go on, in our eyes, could be days. ... We saw how long it took to turn off and the turn-on process is double that,” said Scott Forshey-Friedman, president of the Celestina neighborhood HOA.
TECO Energy provided a statement to News4JAX outlining how the process works:
- Every impacted meter must be turned off and locked
- Crews will then make the repairs, test the system and repressurize it to prepare for gas flow
- After pipeline repairs are complete, each meter will be unlocked
- Techs will enter the homes and businesses to relight pilot lights as necessary and do safety checks before service can be turned back on
TECO said an adult must be present when workers need to have access to a home or business.
Neighbors said they’re frustrated and with the holidays, this couldn’t have come at a worse time.
“People are starting to have visitors come in for the holidays, and hot water is a necessity right now,” resident Amanda Robben said.
TECO Energy is asking people to be patient. Until that time, neighbors say they’re having to improvise until this is fixed.
“It’s hard for us because we’re going other places and having to shower intermittently. Luckily, we have friends in the area who aren’t being affected by the outage that have allowed us to come into their homes and shower,” Forshey-Friedman said.
TECO said if customers aren’t home, workers will leave a door tag with information on how to schedule an appointment.
According to TECO Energy, the leak was caused by damage to a six-inch pipe buried 10 to 12 feet below ground on Longleaf Pine Parkway near the Grandholm Point subdivision.
A spokesperson for St. Johns County said the leak is within its Longleaf Pine Parkway project limits but not in an area that it is currently working on. TECO said it was working on a repair with the hope of having it fixed by Tuesday afternoon.
