Friday UPDATE: Crews in Montour Falls worked throughout the night disconnecting gas service to safely make repairs. Technicians will need to revisit homes today and need access to reconnect service and safely relight natural gas appliances. For customers not home at the time of a field visit, a door hanger will be placed on the customer’s door to schedule a time to reconnect service. Customers can call the Elmira Natural Gas Department at 585.484.2633 to request reconnection.
11 p.m. UPDATE: New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG) natural gas customers in Schuyler County are experiencing a gas outage due to an external party damaging the gas main. This is impacting approximately 452 customers in the Montour Falls area. As a result, NYSEG technicians are in the process of making repairs and will be going door-to-door to disconnect gas service at the meter. Once repairs have been made, field technicians will revisit each property to turn the natural gas meter back on and will need access inside the property to safely relight natural gas appliances.
While the Company is working to restore gas service as quickly as possible, restoring service is a process that will take some time. Crews will remain available 24/7 until all affected customers are restored.
To ensure safety, field personnel are utilizing the assistance of local fire and police departments. In the event of a gas emergency or if you smell gas, customers should contact NYSEG at 800.572.1121 or 911 from a safe location. Customers should also ensure CO detectors work properly and replace batteries as needed.
4:45 p.m. UPDATE: The Schuyler County Sheriff’s Office has posted on social media that New York State Electric and Gas has advised them the gas leak has been stopped in the village of Montour Falls at this time. Residents who were ordered to evacuate are safe to return to their homes at their leisure. However, approximately 400 NYSEG customers in the village of Montour Falls will be without natural gas services for the time being.
4:30 p.m. UPDATE: All lanes of NY-14 closed. Northbound traffic from State Route 14 is being routed to go to Johnson Hollow Rd and then to State Route 414. All Southbound traffic to use State Route 414.
4:10 p.m. UPDATE: The Schuyler County Office of Emergency Management just posted: “There is a gas leak in the Village of Montour Falls. Streets north of Main Street to the village line (at Chef’s Diner) are being evacuated. Streets south of Main Street in the Village of Montour Falls should shelter in place.”
Residents and businesses in the village of Montour Falls are being evacuated after a gas line was struck at around 3 p.m. Thursday.
Areas being evacuated include Washington, Henry, West Genesee, Clinton, and Ayers streets. Officials are asking others in the village to shelter in place.
In a post on its Facebook page at 3:30 p.m., the Schuyler County Sheriff’s Office said “Estimates are between 2-3 hours to have the situation mitigated.”
This is a developing story. Please continue to check back for further updates.
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