As the Southeast prepares for Hurricane Dorian, it is a good time for APGA members to review their public safety messages, emergency plans, and mutual aid agreements & contacts.
Reminding our customers of the signs of natural gas leaks is important during weather related events. When appropriate, it may be a best practice to include customer safety messages on the front of your gas utility website. For example, you can highlight:
- How should they recognize a gas leak by the odor?
- What should they do in the event that they smell gas?
- If their gas meter turns off, what should they do?
- In the event that there of flooding, should they attempt to move any gas appliances?
Members should feel free to share on the APGA Community (
community.apga.org) how your gas system prepares for the threat of a major storm or hurricane.
Additional Information & Resources
Department of Transportation
DOT has created a Routing Hotline.
"A new regional disaster transportation routing hotline service brought to you by FEMA and the US Department of Transportation's Office of Emergency Response and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration... offered during federally declared emergencies... the services aggregates "rod availability status" data from multiple sources and provides real-time routing directs to approved callers."Hurricane Dorian Hotline Number: 877-997-6237
Click Here for more information.
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA)
PHMSA has issued an Emergency Stay of Enforcement to interstate pipeline and LNG operators that may be impacted by Hurricane Dorian. You can read the document on the
PHMSA website here and on the APGA Community
here if you want to ask questions of APGA staff and members.
They are also issuing a letter to their state partners in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina letting them know PHMSA will not object to a waiver they may issue to a state regulated company for Dorian related deviations from D&A and OQ requirements. The Stay goes into effect September 1, 2019, and will remain in effect for 45 days from the issuance date unless extended by PHMSA.
Click Here to view DHS information concerning Hurricane readiness.
Click Here to find a list of Emergency Declarations, Waivers, Exemptions & Permits