Residents in the towns of North Andover, Andover and Lawrence are being allowed to return home after proprieties were safely cleared of gas, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker said in a Twitter post Sunday morning, three days after several explosions triggered evacuations.
Charlie Baker @MassGovernor Teams accessed the nearly 8,600 meters that were impacted by the gas incident, turned them off, and safely cleared the home for any gas detection. As of 6:30AM, all impacted home have been safely cleared of gas. Ow.ly/kc2e30lQ2sL
Teams accessed the nearly 8,600 meters that were impacted by the gas incident, turned them off, and safely cleared the home for any gas detection. As of 6:30AM, all impacted home have been safely cleared of gas. Https://t.co/eJZGaGZjef
— Charlie Baker (@MAGovArchive) September 16, 2018
About 15,000 residents had their power restored as of 6:30 a.m. Local time, the governor said in a separate tweet. Eversource Energy, in charge of the recovery operation, expects work to be completed by mid-day.
Eversource MA @EversourceMA As of 6:30 am all residences/buildings in the affected area were confirmed to be clear of natural gas. We’re actively working with National Grid to restore power, and anticipate having that completed by mid-day.
As of 6:30 am all residences/buildings in the affected area were confirmed to be clear of natural gas. We’re actively working with National Grid to restore power, and anticipate having that completed by mid-day.
— Eversource MA (@EversourceMA) September 16, 2018
“Eversource has worked hard to coordinate this operation with Columbia Gas and National Grid, and National Grid has been a strong partner in coordinating the return of electricity,” Baker tweeted. Recovery efforts will now be focused on assessing the damage to the low-pressure gas system, and inspection of gas equipment at proprieties.
The Massachusetts governor declared a state of emergency on Thursday after explosions along a natural gas distribution system killed one person and injured more than 25 others.