REGINA – Three days after a natural gas explosion literally shook residents in Regina Beach, crews are working to restore service to the community.
As of Friday afternoon, 40 homes remained without water, seven without power and eight suffered are inaccessible due to severe damage.
“Some people are really stressed, they’ve suffered some big losses,” explained Regina Beach’s emergency management coordinator Ken Peters.
Debris is all that remains of one home following a natural gas explosion Wednesday.
Neighboring residents were allowed escorted access to their homes, but only for a short time due to safety.
“We started at 10 o’clock this morning, letting people in and now it’s just going through the process,” added Peters.
Dave Burdeniuk with SaskEnergy explained that a building inspection and safety check need to be completed before gas is turned back on.
The question surfacing from many homeowners is who will cover the costs?
Natural gas equipment including piping on personal property is considered the homeowner’s responsibility, but in this case SaskEnergy is footing the bill.
“It’s an exceptional circumstance. We know these people are under a lot of stress, so just to ease the process we’ll make sure their safety test with the plumber is taken care of. So we’ll pay for that,” added Burdeniuk.
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This summer’s heavy rainfall is being blamed for the ground shifting, but regardless of the cause of the gas leak, most insurance companies in the province cover damages caused by explosions.
Kelley Brinkworth with SGI explained that the coverage includes secondary properties, but there is a chance people’s premiums could increase.
“That would impact the discount they are eligible for, so it could mean they are paying a higher premium the following year. So it could have that kind of impact if they are submitting a claim,” she said.
Repairs and upgrades are expected to take weeks and even months and SaskEnergy is warning residents not to panic if they do smell a natural gas odour while they continue to work.
However, officials aren’t taking any chances, and are asking residents to contact authorities if they smell gas.
Beginning Monday, mail for Regina Beach will be available for pickup at the Lumsden post office. Residents are required to present identification to claim their mail.
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