(Newark, N.J. – Aug. 14, 2018) Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G) today set up a mobile assistance center to help Little Falls and Totowa residents whose natural gas service was impacted by this weekend’s flooding rains.

The mobile unit, located at 160 Paterson Ave. in Little Falls, will be staffed from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Friday, Aug. 17. PSE&G’s gas operations employees will provide residents with information about when their gas service may be restored and make appointments to relight their gas appliances when it is safe to do so.

“Our hearts go out to our customers as they deal with the damage to their homes and property in the wake of the severe flooding that has devastated several neighborhoods,” said Ananda Kanapathy, PSE&G senior director of gas operations. “Since Sunday, we have been inspecting our customers’ gas meters and equipment. We want to make it easy for them to have their service restored once it’s safe to do so.”

Kanapathy noted that as a result of major upgrades to gas pipes and service lines in these neighborhoods during the past four years, flood waters didn’t infiltrate gas pipes. “We will be ready to restore gas service as soon as repairs to homes and appliances are made and municipal officials conduct safety inspections,” he said.

Under its Energy Strong and Gas System Modernization Programs, PSE&G has replaced low-pressure cast iron gas pipes with higher pressure pipes made of more durable plastic materials that are less prone to leaks due to flooding. In Little Falls, the utility replaced 42,000 feet of gas main and 450 gas services to homes and businesses. In Totowa, 56,000 feet of gas main and 2,000 services were upgraded.

“These upgrades are making the gas system safer and more resilient,” Kanapathy said. “If this flooding took place before the upgrades, many more homes in the area would likely be without gas service for an extended period of time.”