Natural Gas Outage in McKinney Cuts Off Heat to Homes, School

Service being restored Wednesday night; residents must be home to have service restored

Natural gas service is being restored to more than 100 customers in McKinney after record demand during a bitterly cold week cut the supply.

Atmos Energy said the demand dropped pressure and 120 customers lost service. The company said Wednesday afternoon crews had restored the pressure to normal levels and that they were reconnecting service to homes -- though to be reconnected, someone over the age of 18 must be present. Atmos will keep technicians in the area Wednesday night to reconnect service.

The low pressure Wednesday morning forced the closure of an elementary school.

McKinney ISD said it received noticed of low pressure at McClure Elementary at 7:30 a.m. The building was warm at the start of the day, but would get colder. The district bussed approximately 500 students to a nearby high school auditorium where the children could stay warm. Parents were notified they could pick up their kids by 9:30 a.m.

The lack of natural gas also impacted homes in the Auburn Hills subdivision along U.S. Highway 380.

Kim Rachow said he first noticed a problem while cooking breakfast on his gas stovetop. Even though the heat was set to “high,” there was only a low flame. Within a few hours, the thermostat showed the temperature in the house dipped to 62 degrees. Rachow and his wife, who work from home, wore coats at they worked at their computers inside the house.

“It is frustrating in this cold to be sitting in your house freezing when you’ve got gas heat, but it’s not heating,” said Rachow.

Another neighbor, Ross Edman, raced home from work to check on his dog. An Atmos tech was at his home to turn off the gas supply as crews worked in the neighborhood.

Edman said the temperature is hovering in the low 60’s in the home as of late Wednesday afternoon, but if things get colder, he expects to find another place to stay for the night.

“We have friends and family in the area so if it comes down to it, we’ll stay there,” said Edman.

Atmos is asking people to conserve natural gas, especially during the peak hours of 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Low pressure is not expected to be dangerous, but the company advises anyone who smells natural gas to leave the area immediately and call 911.

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