DECATUR -- This afternoon Black Hills Energy, during a routine upgrade, lost press at the Decatur town border station causing an outage to approximately 500 customers in that area.
In order to prepare the system for restoration, the company will be clearing the existing system at eleven different locations along the lines. During the completion of that process, customers in the area may hear a loud noise caused by the pressure of the release and may also detect the odor of natural gas in the air.
Black Hills Energy technicians are working non-stop to complete a multi-step process to purge and repressurize the gas system, readying teams to begin restoring gas service to Decatur customers. Immediately following the restoration of system pressure, technicians will begin relighting appliances for residential customers.
When a technician arrives to restore service, they will turn on the meter and then perform a variety of safety checks on gas appliances indoors, measuring for gas and carbon monoxide to identify any safety issues.
Customers should not attempt to relight their appliances on their own. At locations where no one is home or the business is closed, a tag will be left on the door notifying the customer that the natural gas has been shut off and to call the company for it to be turned back on.
Additionally, someone over 18 years of age is required to be present during the relighting process, so customers can help by being at the residence this evening if possible.
Additional Black Hills Energy employees from across Arkansas are joining the effort to expedite the restoration of service to Decatur customers. Those technicians are working diligently to complete the restoration process. It will take time to restore service for the customers that Black Hills Energy is not able to contact today.
"Our technicians will be prepared to safely restore service by wearing appropriate PPE and asking COVID-19 screening questions before entering homes and businesses," a Black Hills news release states. "Our technicians practice social distancing and closely follow all national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines regarding COVID-19, including wearing masks. Additionally, we ask that our customers also wear a mask while our technicians are in your home."
Learn more about our COVID-19 precautions at blackhillsenergy.com/covid-19.
Black Hills Energy reminds customers, if they suspect a gas leak, to:
• Leave the building or area immediately and tell others to leave too.
• Alert your neighbors.
• From a safe distance, call 911 and Black Hills Energy’s emergency number — 888-890-5554. Never assume someone else has reported a natural gas leak.
• On the way out, do not flip light switches, open windows, ignite a flame, use a cell phone or other electronics that could cause a spark of static electricity.
• Never attempt to repair a natural gas leak and do not attempt to turn natural gas valves on or off.
• Wait for Black Hills Energy and other emergency responders to give the all-clear before acting further.