Life has largely returned to normal for Nelsonville residents evacuated from their homes Saturday night because of an explosion in the city's storm sewer system, but efforts to assess and repair the damage are just beginning.
City officials hired a private contractor yesterday to inspect the damage from the explosion, and crews ran a camera down into the sewer yesterday morning. Nelsonville city manager Mark Hall said he expected to have an estimate on how much damage was done to the sewer system by the end of the week, when the inspection would be completed. Nelsonville City Council unanimously passed two related ordinances last night, allocating $25,000 for inspection and repair of the damaged sewer and also declaring an emergency so the problem could be immediately addressed, said council President Anita Mondo.However, if inspectors found major breaches
that money would not be enough to cover repairs, Hall said.
About 60 homes were evacuated Saturday night in a seven-street area of Nelsonville near the town square after gas from a car leaked into the sewer system and caused an explosion. Most residents were allowed to return home early Sunday morning, but a few remained at hotels or relatives' houses yesterday because of severe structural damage to their properties.
No one was injured by the explosion, and city water service was not affected because water continued to flow through the damaged sewer.
Mike Puia, 31, who lives on Fort Street, was staying at a hotel yesterday with his wife and three children. The explosion raised the front of his driveway by about eight inches, and he said the foundation of his house had started to crumble.
There's a lot of structural damage he said. You can see the stress cracks in the walls.
An elderly woman who lives on Kontner Street was also staying with relatives because her basement was severely damaged by the explosion, said Dan Pfeiffer, a spokesman for the Nelsonville Division of Fire. He said three houses, including Puia's and the woman's, suffered about $30,000 in total damage.
Although officials had not pinpointed what ignited the sewer explosion, Pfeiffer said 10 to 15 gallons of gas had leaked into the sewer system from a car stuck in a ditch on Poling Road. Firefighters were dispatched to the area at 9:41 p.m. Saturday after hearing the explosion.
The stuck car belonged to 48-year-old Janet Mitchell, who was backing out of her driveway onto an ice-covered Poling Avenue when she slid into a ditch. Mitchell said she called a tow truck to help her get out, but the explosion occurred while her car was in the ditch, and city officials blocked off the truck's route to her house when they responded to the explosion.
Mitchell will not be charged with any crime, Pfeiffer said.
It's just as if you or I had backed out of the driveway and into the ditch he said. She had no idea that it had happened. They had called for a tow truck.
Mitchell said she does not know how gas leaked out of her car because it suffered no damage and the gas cap was on. Pfeiffer said it must have come out of the fill spout.
There wasn't a scratch or anything on it
Mitchell said. The next day I got up and went out. It was like nothing.
Many residents in the affected area said yesterday that life had basically returned to normal. Missy Clement, 46, who lives on Fort Street, stayed outside her house in her parked car instead of evacuating to a Red Cross station, but she said that most of the excitement had died down yesterday.
We don't seem as disoriented today
she said. Let me tell you
it was cold out there.
Her husband, Gregg Clement, said he was just glad everyone was OK. I assumed at first it was natural gas. I told (Missy) right away
'Get your coat and shoes and we've got to get out of the house
' he said. It's amazing nobody was hurt.
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