No clear end to evacuations

GEORGETOWN — Jaime Fernandez said he couldn't estimate the amount of money he's lost because of the unexpected closure of his business a month ago.

His restaurant, Mariachis de Jalisco on Williams Drive, has had its doors shut since Feb. 20 because of complications from a natural gas leak — and there's still no clear end in sight.

Fernandez is not alone. Dozens of businesses and homes in the area — one of the city's main business corridors — were evacuated after Atmos Energy said a leak fixed in February had left some natural gas trapped in the soil. Crews have been working to ventilate it.

A total of 73 homes and 67 businesses were evacuated. Officials with the utility said more than a dozen residents and businesses were allowed to return this week, but 58 businesses and 64 homes remained evacuated Thursday.

"There are unique soil conditions in this area that are causing residual gas to ventilate slowly," said Atmos communications manager Celina Cardenas Fleites. "For everyone's safety, we evacuate when we detect an unsafe concentration of natural gas in or near a home or other structure. ... Out of an abundance of caution, evacuations will remain in place until we are confident it is safe to re-occupy the structures."

Fleites did not give a timeline for the completion of the repairs.

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Fernandez and other business owners affected by the gas leak will attend a meeting Friday morning at the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce to determine what kind of help the owners need to reopen when the time comes.

"There will be businesses in town that are willing to help them," Georgetown Mayor Dale Ross said.

Atmos has put displaced residents in four-star hotels and is paying claims for business interruption, including the salaries of Fernandez's 45 employees. But there might be other financial damages more difficult to quantify.

"What I hear from my customers is that they are scared to come back (when the restaurant reopens) because they think there's gas in the area," Fernandez said.

The city of Georgetown has not declared a disaster during the current Atmos Energy situation, according to a city news release issued Wednesday night.

"Simply declaring a local disaster does not make new or different resources available that are not already being provided," Ross said in the release. "The City is in regular contact with both Atmos and our partners at Williamson County and the State to ensure this evacuation is brought to resolution as safely as possible."

While Ross said that he thinks Atmos has adequate resources to get the job done, including enough employees and equipment, he said Thursday that he asked the Texas Division of Emergency Management this week to assess how Atmos has handled the situation.

"It's like an independent review; just to make sure Atmos has done everything they need to do," Ross said.