APRIL 3, 2015
NEW YORK, NY
Reports of gas leaks have skyrocketed by 64 percent since a
deadly gas explosion killed two people in the East Village a week ago, The Post
has learned.
Con Edison received 1,787 calls to its emergency hotline in
the six-day period after the explosion on March 26 — a spike from the 1,099
calls logged in the six days before the explosion, said Allan Drury, a
spokesman for the utility company. “That’s a very large increase.”
Shaken East Villagers have reported at least a half-dozen
leaks over the past week, according to a map on Con Ed’s website.
The company rushed to inspect at least three of those reports,
which it deemed top “priority” and has since made safe.
Authorities suspect illegal plumbing work on a gas line
caused last week’s explosion and fire, which destroyed 121 Second Ave. and two
adjacent buildings.
Since the disaster, complaints about gas plumbing have also
inundated 311 operators.
The city responded to 207 “plumbing” complaints in Manhattan
— a category that includes gas leaks, gas-line tampering and illegal pipe work
— since last week, according to 311 data posted on its website.
That’s an 85 percent increase over the prior week, when only
112 such complaints were logged for the borough.
There was a similar spike in gas-leak complaints after an
apartment building in East Harlem exploded and killed eight people in March
2014, Drury said.
Con Ed logged a total of 41,102 emergency calls in 2014, an increase
of 57 percent from 2013.
“When we see an increase in gas calls like last year, we
consider that a good thing. The leaks that are dangerous are the leaks that
aren’t reported to us,” Drury said.
On the other hand, these thousands of leaks also mean that
we have ticking time bombs on our hands.
Perhaps Con Ed makes additional effort to educate the public, improve infrastructure,
and so on.
Meanwhile, the FDNY continued on Thursday to dig through the
rubble on Second Avenue.
Workers operating a large crane ripped up debris for
removal.
There were no signs that authorities found any incriminating
evidence or pieces of the gas pipe involved in the blast.
Source: http://nypost.com