On this West Virginia Week, we learned about human trafficking in the state. We heard from U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., about his decision not to run again for the U.S. Senate. We also heard from community members on the West Side in Charleston facing the natural gas outage.
On this West Virginia Week, we learned about human trafficking in the state.
We heard from U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., about his decision not to run again for the U.S. Senate.
We also heard from community members on the West Side in Charleston facing the natural gas outage.
Briana Heaney is our host this week. Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert.
West Virginia Week is a web-only podcast that explores the week’s biggest news in the Mountain State. It’s produced with help from Bill Lynch, Briana Heaney, Caroline MacGregor, Chris Schulz, Curtis Tate, Emily Rice, Eric Douglas, Liz McCormick, and Randy Yohe.
Mountaineer Gas said it has restored 100 percent of water-filled gas lines on the West Side of Charleston. However many residents are still without heat, and the outages are taking a toll on the community.
Mountaineer Gas said it has restored 100 percent of water-filled gas lines on the West Side of Charleston. However, many residents are still without heat, and the outages are taking a toll on the community.
One of those residents is Margaret Mahr, who sat in her home with an overcoat on and space heaters placed around the room.
The temperature outside was 28 degrees. Her floors were still ice cold from the 18 days she has spent without heat.
She had a technician visit her house that day for the fourth time. He was able to get her furnace running but later that evening it went out again.
At the time of publication, she said she still does not have heat or hot water.
“You hear on the news, ‘Oh, 1,100 people are all set now, the heat’s on,’ you know,” Mahr said. “It makes me angry when I see that on the news. We are still suffering over here.”
The gas outage lasted around two weeks and affected 1,500 Mountaineer Gas Company customers. It was caused by a West Virginia American Water line break. The water infiltrated the gas lines.
Mountaineer Gas said the 46 miles of gas lines affected have been drained and fully restored. However, many home appliances like water heaters, furnaces and stoves were damaged or destroyed when water entered the gas lines. Many households, like Mahr’s, are still without hot water or heat.
Jay Marino owns one of the contracted companies responsible with getting water damaged appliances fixed or replaced. His office’s garage was filled with boxes of new water heaters and furnaces. Outside, he had dozens of water destroyed appliances that his crew took out of homes.
The water pumped into many residents’ houses and broke their appliances. These are all water damaged appliances.
Credit: Briana Heaney/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
“That’s the extreme, you never see this. You never see this volume,” Marino said walking through his gated lot looking at the broken appliances.
Since the early days of the outage, his company has been carrying triple the case load they normally do.
He said his teams have been working nonstop.
“They’re tired. They’re working 14-15 hours a day,” Marino said. “They haven’t stopped in two weeks. They worked through Thanksgiving. We gave them a couple of hours off for dinner and then they’re back at it.”
The West Side, where the gas outage occurred, is a lower income neighborhood of Charleston with a high percentage of residents who are people of color.
Mahr said she believes that other more affluent areas would have had a different response, but because of preconceived notions about her neighborhood she thinks the crisis has not been treated with urgency — leaving her and other residents in the cold.
“Because it’s the West Side, we’re still sitting here. You know what I’m saying?” Mahr said.
Khaly Le said she lost everything in the fire. She said she had family heirlooms that are now completely gone.
Credit: Briana Heaney/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
On Saturday, Nov. 25, Khaly Le’s house burned down after multiple portable heaters were attached to the outlet by an extension cord, which became overloaded and caused the fire. She said she had to jump out of the second-story window with her son.
Both were hospitalized after and have third degree burns all on their bodies. The fire left two others homeless.
Khaly Le sustained third degree burns all over her body. Her hands are burned and scabbed after escaping the fire and jumping out of her third story window. Credit: Briana Heaney/West Virginia Public BroadcastingKhaly Le said her hair was one fire and burnt off in tuffs. It burned around her face and both of her ears. Credit: Briana Heaney/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
She said the American Red Cross gave her $600 for a hotel. She said she has not heard anything from the gas company since the fire.
On Nov. 21, the Charleston City Council wrote a letter to the state Public Service Commission (PSC) asking them to delay or reject a proposed four percent rate increase for Mountaineer Gas and a one percent increase for West Virginia American Water.
“While this small action would not make the West Side residents whole, it would at least allow them to avoid another drastic rate increase, as they are still recovering from a severe service interruption that was costly to them,” the letter said.
City Councilman Larry Moore signed the letter. His entire district was without gas.
Moore said the cost to people’s health, and property, as well as the likely increase in people’s utility bills due to the use of portable heaters are all reasons why the PSC should consider waiting to approve an increase.
“Hopefully this sheds light and they can see that the infrastructure needs work badly,” Moore said. “Before our rates go up, can we get our infrastructure fixed?”
Mountaineer Gas has said it will credit West Side residents accounts with $75 off their next bill.
The Public Service Commission opened an investigation on Nov. 16 to look into the widespread gas outage and the utilities’ response to the outage.
Mountaineer Gas said that the 46 miles of gas lines affected have been dried and fully restored. However, many home appliances like water heaters, furnaces and stoves were damaged or destroyed when water entered the gas lines. Many households, like Mahr’s, are still without hot water or heat because of it.
Margaret Mahr sat in her house with an overcoat on and space heaters placed around the room in her home on Charleston’s West Side.
Her fluffy Persian cats were curled up in tight balls. The temperature outside is 28 degrees. She had a pump in her furnace replaced an hour prior, but the floors were still ice cold from the 18 days she spent without heat. She was worried it would break again. It had different parts replaced by contract crews, but she said it hasn’t stayed on for more than 15 minutes before it goes out again.
“You hear on the news, ‘Oh, 1,100 people are all set now, the heat’s on,’ you know,” Mahr said. “It makes me angry when I see that on the news. We are still suffering over here. And it makes me angry and frustrated.”
The gas outage that lasted around two weeks and affected 1,100 Mountain Gas Company customers was caused by a West Virginia American Water line break. The water infiltrated the gas lines.
Mountaineer Gas said that the 46 miles of gas lines affected have been dried and fully restored. However, many home appliances like water heaters, furnaces and stoves were damaged or destroyed when water entered the gas lines. Many households, like Mahr’s, are still without hot water or heat because of it.
The West Side, where the gas outage occurred, is a lower income neighborhood of Charleston with a high percentage of residents who are people of color. Mahr believes that other more affluent areas would have had a different response but because of preconceived notions about her neighborhood that the crisis has not been treated with urgency — leaving her and other residents in the cold.
“Because it’s the West Side, we’re still sitting here. You know what I’m saying?” Mahr said.
Mahr said that two days ago, after 16 days without hot water, the water heater was replaced. She is still waiting for her furnace to function. She said that the company contracted by Mountaineer Gas has replaced different parts of the furnace instead of replacing it entirely, which she says has prolonged her time without heat.
The Public Service Commission opened an investigation on Nov. 16 to look into the widespread gas outage and the utilities’ response to the outage.
“The commission investigation will focus on measures, policies and/or other practices that should be implemented or expanded by both utilities to minimize widespread loss of service for customers, both in geographical scope and in the duration, when water line breaks and gas outages occur,” a case document said.
On Nov. 21, the Charleston City Council wrote a letter to the Public Service Commission asking them to delay or reject a proposed rate increase for both Mountaineer Gas Company’s 4 percent increase and West Virginia American Water’s 22 percent increase.
“While this small action would not make the West Side residents whole, it would at least allow them to avoid another drastic rate increase, as they are still recovering from a severe service interruption that was costly to them,” the council said in the letter.
