UPDATE on Columbia Gas services

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – Columbia Gas is working to restore service to approximately 600 customers affected by a natural gas outage on the south side of Zanesville.

Out of an abundance of caution, Columbia Gas has asked AEP to shut off electric service to ensure the safety of their customers and crews in the area. To view the AEP outage map, please visit aepohio.com/outages.

Officials said, “the integrity of their system remains safe.  We are in the process of visiting each home to perform a safety inspection and are hopeful that electric service can be restored Friday.  Please note that restoration of natural gas service could take several days.”

Customers are not being asked to evacuate their homes, but if special arrangements are needed, please call the customer care center at 1-800-344-4077.  Additionally, the Red Cross has opened a shelter location at the North Terrace Church of Christ, 1420 Brandywine Blvd.

Once all necessary safety inspections are completed, Columbia Gas will begin to reintroduce gas into the system. They currently do not have a timetable for restoration of service, but will provide updates as soon as possible.

Restoration of gas service requires Columbia Gas crews to access impacted customer homes to relight appliances and perform additional safety inspections.  This could take approximately 30 minutes per home.

Impacted customers need to be advised of the following:

·        An adult must be present at the home to allow Columbia Gas workers to restore service.

·        Keep your porch light on, once electric service is restored.

·        If you are planning to leave your home, please leave contact information on your door or with a neighbor so that our crews can gain access to the home to reestablish service.

·        Columbia Gas employees and contractors carry photo ID and will be happy to show it on request.

Updates will be made as available on the Columbia Gas website at ColumbiaGasOhio.com, via Twitter @columbiagasohio, and on Facebook.