Gas Company Now 64 Percent Done With Manasquan Repairs after Hurricane

New Jersey Natural Gas is more than halfway done with the long list of inspections, repairs and, lastly, restoration of gas service to portions of Manasquan destroyed by Hurricane Sandy.

The gas company announced that 64 percent of the borough's service installations are complete.

"In Manasquan, we have completed 120 service installations, 64 percent. We continue to repair and replace services, as needed, throughout the rest of our territory," announced the utility.

The progression of the project included a Nov. 24 announcement that the damaged main along First Avenue was replaced. At that time, NJNG had repaired 63 services, or 35 percent of affected customers in Manasquan.

The process of restoring natural gas service begins with initial service assessment, which started in the first days after Hurricane Sandy. After the assessment, crews move toward the main and service installations phase and lastly work on restoration of service.

For coastal Monmouth County, NJNG had completed 98 percent of its initial service assessments on Nov. 13. Specifically in Manasquan, the engineering for service restoration began Nov. 5, according to the gas company.

Before gas service can be restored, the customer must also have electricity and have a habitable home. Customers should also have checked with a technician that any furnaces or appliances damaged by Hurricane Sandy are okay. Those are two of several contigencies NJNG said must happen before gas service is turned on for a property.

NJNG issued the following statement for customers as the work continues:      

"All customers who have had service interrupted should be advised that when their area’s natural gas service is restored, federal and state safety codes require the following conditions must be met before natural gas service can be safely restored: homes and businesses must have electricity, homes and businesses must be habitable and occupied, and any furnaces, boilers or other appliances exposed to flooding or other storm related damage must be serviced and determined to be safe for use by qualified technicians."

For the latest Hurricane Sandy coverage from Manasquan-Belmar Patch visit our topic page here.

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