Atmos Energy is urging residents to conserve natural gas usage during the extreme winter temperatures to help maintain gas service.
Atmos Energy is closely monitoring the weather and staging its employees across the system.
NBC 5 viewers in the Arlington, Benbrook, Frisco, Grand Prairie and south Fort Worth areas reported decreased gas pressure with some having been without gas since Thursday night.
Amir Arien said he purchased five space heaters late Thursday night to keep his family warm. As of Friday afternoon, they still did not have hot water or heat.
“This is our temperature right now at the moment. Upstairs, 55. 63, downstairs,” Arien said. “It’s just like déjà vu we had with the electricity in 2021.”
Arien’s younger brother Khurram lives next door. Khurram’s wife and their two-week-old son are staying with his in-laws.
“In my house, it’s literally when I checked…it was 57 degrees. With a newborn, I could not,” he said. “I took my wife, I went over there and slept with them all night.”
Suzette Lagray and her husband live in Grand Prairie. Heat in their home returned late Friday morning after being without heat downstairs for about 12 hours.
Lagray said while she was relieved their gas pressure returned to normal, she would like to see better communication from Atmos Energy.
“I think it was pretty frustrating, because at least with information…you can plan. Do I need to go out and buy space heaters or what?” she explained. “Without any kind of feedback or update, it makes it really difficult.”
An Atmos Energy spokesperson did not answer our questions directly about communication concerns or how many residents have been affected, but we’re told in an email:
“Please let your audience know that we are experiencing high call volumes due to colder than normal temperatures and there may be a significant wait time to speak with an agent. If this is not an emergency or if they are calling about the status of a previous order, we are working as quickly as possible to get a service technician to their home. If this is an emergency, please hold and an agent will answer their call as quickly as possible.”
The North Richland Hills Centre and the NRH Library closed Friday after the low gas pressure affected those facilities.
WHERE YOU CAN GO IF YOU ARE COLD
The City of Arlington opened The Beacon Recreation Center at 1100 Mansfield Webb Road as a temporary warming center in response to the inadequate natural gas pressure in the Deer Valley Lane Community and surrounding area in South Arlington.
North Richland Hills Baptist Church’s Wellness Center was a warming station for residents, but it has been closed. Residents in need of shelter should call NRH public safety dispatch at 817-281-1000.
The Texas Department of Emergency Management has launched its warming center map to help Texans find a place to go if they need to stay warm during the dangerously cold temperatures.
HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO GET THE HEAT GOING AGAIN?
Around 11:30 a.m., Atmos tweeted there would be a “significant wait time” as they were experiencing a high call volume.