As Atmos Makes Repairs After Gas Explosion, Pets Left Behind Are a Worry for Evacuated Residents

The 50 pounds of Purina that María Scott left for Lobo vanished in four days.The 66-year-old Northwest Dallas resident had left enough food for her German Shepherd and five parrots before she was ordered to leave her home, after a gas explosion Feb. 27 killed a 12-year-old girl two blocks from her property.When Atmos Energy ordered 2,800 residents to leave their houses while it worked to fix several gas leaks, Scott had to do a hasty evacuation and asked her son in Carrollton to take her two other dogs, Pulga and Roy, a Chihuahua and a dachshund.She and her husband, Juventino, stayed in an Irving hotel.For days her concern was not only for her neighborhood, but also the well-being of the pets that she had left to "protect" their house "from possible thieves," she said."At the end, the birds were digging into the food," said Scott, now back at her Durango Street house, in the same block where the two house fires happened. "When I came back, Lobo was hungry and thirsty, and that's when I decided to stay here."While Atmos maintenance crews continue to replace rusty steel pipes with plastic pipelines, residents are trickling back to their homes, even though gas service hasn't been restored."I still see little dogs leashed in my neighbors' yards, and I am worried about who is feeding them," she said pointing to a Doberman barking from the adjacent yard. "Those who are doing repairs, [Atmos workers] have mentioned that little dogs are alone in some yards, and I bring them food.""I still see little dogs leashed in my neighbors' yards, and I am worried about who is feeding them," she said pointing to a Doberman barking from the adjacent yard. "Those who are doing repairs, [Atmos workers] have mentioned that little dogs are alone in some yards, and I bring them food."According to Atmos' internal emails, obtained by the The Dallas Morning News, the evening before the house on Española Drive exploded and killed Linda Rogers, Atmos Energy crews were inspecting and repairing gas leaks directly behind the property.While a federal investigation is looking into the cause of the explosion, the families in this heavily Hispanic neighborhood have been living with relatives and in hotels.The gas explosion has turned the residents' lives upside down.On top of not knowing when they will be able to return to their homes, many worry about their pets, left unattended."When I came back from work the day of the explosion, they didn't let me in into the house," said Alma Hernández, 55, who spent the night at the Walnut Hill Recreation Center, which was used as a temporary shelter. Her four sons -- ages 15 to 35-- safe at her side, her concern was for what she calls her most loyal companions: Princess, Güero, Coco, Lola and Scooby.  Continue reading...

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