Almost two days after a sinkhole ruptured in the East Bay city of Moraga, 500 PG&E customers were still without heat Tuesday, as crews worked diligently to turn on the gas door by door.
But as the morning wore on, more residents started to feel like themselves again.
"It's good to be in a liveable situation," Cheryl McConnell said after her furnace was turned on. "Not in a Third World country, back in America."
The news couldn't come fast enough for Clayton Vannata, who said it was super cold sleeping and that he hadn't taken a shower for about two days.
Late Monday night, roughly 200 service representatives were working to restore gas service and relight pilot lights after a sinkhole led to a gas leak and a service outage for a peak of 2,500 customers on Sunday about 2:30 p.m. on Rheem Boulevard and Center Street. That intersection will remain closed as city engineering and construction crews work to assess the sinkhole's damage and work to repair it.
When the roads collapsed during the heavy weekend rains, a 4-inch gas line ruptured about three hours later, and a traffic signal pole dropped into the gaping hole.
A full deployment of service representatives fanned out Tuesday morning, PG&E spokeswoman Melissa Subbotin said, and utility crews will remain in the area until all customers have had their service restored. Crews have to turn on each gas light individually, and customers must be home for that service.
Customers who cannot be contacted through the utility's initial outreach will find a contact card directing them to call 1-800-743-5000 to schedule service restoration.
