Important Information-Gas Outage

4/12 - 8:00 PM

We're almost through this - as a community everyone has done a great job of working through, and we are so appreciative of everyone's patience with the situation! Not what any of us wanted to do this week.

Crews will still be working through the night and tomorrow, and the goal is still to get everyone turned back on by the end of the weekend.

One point of clarification: if you have a question about your specific address - you must call Michigan Gas directly at 1-800-401-6402, press option 0 to get to an operator. If you feel you've been missed, have a question about when we will get to your house, have a concern about being out of town, or have questions about the process or why we must come inside the home, that is the number you must call. The number on the doortag is the call center number for Michigan Gas - 1-800-401-6402.

There are a lot of moving parts to this - there are a lot of time variables at each house, and with workers from outside of our area who are unfamiliar with roads/numbering/etc.; it's hard to know when exactly someone will arrive who was dispatched - please have patience with our workers as they are working quickly as possible. Individual workers have lists of where they are supposed to go - they do not have information about when your house is supposed to be serviced or by who - the central dispatch at 1-800-401-6402 and that is the number you should call.

To address one question we've gotten a lot - different workers are carrying different pieces of equipment - every service line is slightly different based on a variety of factors, like line age, meter type, etc. so the same worker who went to your next doors neighbor's house may not be coming to yours - that does not mean you've been skipped by the worker, it just means that a different worker will be assisting you.

The Fennville City Hall number has been and will remain open because that's who we are and how we operate as a city based on our adopted values. We believe it's important for our residents to have an open line of communication with their local government in a crisis. We want to assist all of those who call our area home - but, there also needs to be a central location for questions about specific addresses and it is the Michigan Gas call center which will have the most up to date information about your specific address. At this stage in the process, that is the most efficient way to get everyone turned back on. Fennville city has a very very small staff, and we're glad we've been able to help so many of you - and we're also sorry that some of you have not felt sufficiently heard or helped. Please be considerate in the time of day you choose to call City Hall - answering the phones 18 hours per day is not sustainable for our small staff.

Some small things:

- we are all set on food for workers, thank you for your offers of assistance.

-when the workers arrive at your home, please secure any animals and ensure your thermostat is in the "off" position.

- please leave a light on for workers as it gets dark so they can see that you are home.

- the map created by the City was causing more confusion than being helpful, it has been taken down. The City was trying to provide another information sharing tool for residents, but since the map was only being updated by fennville staff - it didn't make for an accurate tool for sharing information.

- michigan gas is still attempting to send out phone calls before we arrive in your general area, but there have been a number of technical glitches with the phone system. Receiving a phone call from them does not guarantee that someone will be there immediately - we have many houses in each call area.

4/11 11:30 PM

Crews have mostly wrapped up for the night; however, there are a few workers still out in Fennville - they will not arrive later than midnight - the workers are only able to work a maximum 16 hour shift before resting. We did phase things out and crews will begin knocking again at 7 AM tomorrow.

As we've stated, maintaining pressure in the mains is a top priority - Fennville will be wrapped up tomorrow morning, and crews will also begin in Douglas at 7 AM, and begin working their way towards Saugatuck.

Crews are working as quickly as they can - we understand the concerns about being unable to give a specific time for restoration for each house - as a community, we are prioritizing speed in the restoration for all, which means that we have to provide rough timeframes.

If you receive a doortag with a phone number because you are not home, when you get to the menu options, please press 0.

When crews arrive at your home, please secure all animals. If it is dark or getting dark, please leave a porch light on to signal that you are home to the gas workers.

For those who have been asking for the map the City promised in a previous post, I apologize; we are still having some technical difficulties. The map link with the outage dots has remained the same since Wednesday (and will be the same), but updating the zones and those who have been visited is not an easy task with as many workers on the ground as we have - especially as they are doing paper routes which are being logged back at central office. I will keep trying to work on a solution in the morning, but we may not have one before the majority are restored.

You will receive a call about 30 minutes before Michigan Gas begins to move into your general area - if you have not been receiving phone call updates from Michigan Gas, you can update your phone number in your app or at 1-800-401-6402 to begin receiving calls.

We appreciate all of the food that has been brought to feed the gas workers - it's been a wonderful outpouring of support. I think we have sufficient meals planned out right now, but we will let you know if that changes.

We are still looking at sometime Sunday for full restoration - we will be here as long as it takes.

4/11 - 6:30 PM
Many of you have already received a call from Michigan Gas stating that we have entered our final phase (phase 3!) - you will receive another phone call from Michigan Gas as we enter your zone/are imminently preparing to enter your zone to give you time to be present. Workers will be making their way through the zones until midnight tonight and then again Saturday from 7 AM - midnight and then Sunday from 7 AM until done.

Once again, if you are not in the building when we arrive, we will leave a door tag to schedule a time. Workers will be available 24/7 for that scheduled visit - we will be available at a time that works for you. We do need to move through the zones sequentially in order to safely turn everyone back on - within each zone, critical care sites like nursing homes, water treatment, police, ambulance, etc. are being prioritized.

This final phase may take up to 48 hours - we will be working as quickly and safely as we can throughout the night.

Please continue to let us know what questions you have.

4/11 - 4:45 PM

We are out of Phase I - the line is fixed and everyone has been shut off.

We are now in Phase II - we need to purge, flush, and repressurize the transmission line in order to begin restoration. Phase II is expected to be wrapped up by 7 PM today 4/11.

At 7 PM, we will begin Phase III. Phase III is turning customers back on - this has to be done in a specific order in order to ensure public safety. We've organized the affected area into 39 zones, and zone 1 begins at the break and works its way out into the communities. Fennville is in the first zone (closest to break), and then it will work it's way west then north.

From 7 PM - midnight today (4/11), workers will be working on restoring gas from zone 1 outward. We are working to get the map updated with information about which zone each meter is in. Workers do need to get into every home. If you are not home when the workers get there, they will leave a door tag with a phone number to call to get someone to come in. While many of the workers will leave at midnight, we will have additional workers here after midnight - if you arrive home to a door tag at 3 am - we will still come out.

We have over 300 gas workers on this - they are working methodically through each zone to ensure that pressurization occurs in the correct order. Phase III will still likely take 48 hours - we hope to have everyone restored by 7 PM on 4/13 if everything goes well. We appreciate the public's assistance with this process - as always please let us know if you have any questions - tag us directly on Facebook, we're trying to get caught up on notifications, but are still missing some. Phone is 269-561-8321 if you need to talk to someone.

MID MORNING UPDATE 9:34 AM 4/11
Holland Aquatic Center: If residents without heat would like to take a shower, they are offering their facilities for free, with proof of residence in the gas outage area. If you would like to take a shower and use the pools for the day, they will charge the resident rate instead of the non-resident rate for you. Location: 550 Maple Ave, Holland MI 49423.

Centro Acuático Holland: Si los residentes sin calefacción desean ducharse, ofrecen sus instalaciones de forma gratuita, presentando un comprobante de domicilio en la zona afectada por el corte de gas. Si desea ducharse y usar las piscinas durante el día, se le cobrará la tarifa de residente en lugar de la de no residente. Ubicación: 550 Maple Ave, Holland, MI 49423.

NEW UPDATE - 9:00 PM 4/10

Michigan Gas set up their Operations Center at City Hall early this morning; their crews are running out of our office for the time being. We are grateful to the area restaurants who have been bringing the workers food here and for area hotels who are lodging these first responders!

A shelter has been set up by the Red Cross at Third Coast Church - address is 6069 Blue Star Hwy, Saugatuck, MI 49453. There is a shower available there. If you need transportation to the shelter, call: 269-673-4229 or 1-877-788-2287 for the Allegan County Interurban Transit. Please have the following information ready to give the scheduling office:

Your name and address
Your destination
Requested date and time of pickup and return rides
Whether you need an accessible vehicle or assistance needs
Date of birth required for senior fare
Phone number

Crews on the ground are reporting that some of the locations are missing from their assignments - as soon as Michigan Gas sends me an updated spreadsheet, I will update the map. The map will also be updated with the zones at some point tonight or early tomorrow.

Restoration is a multiple phase approach right now. As each phase finishes, a new phase can begin, but part of the timeline problem has been that we don't know when Phase I will end:

Phase I consists of two parts, the parts are occurring at the same time and by separate crews. We expect to be done with Phase I on Friday.
- Phase I, Part I - crews are working to repair the transmission line - they worked the entire night last night and will work the entire night today. They expect to be finished by early afternoon tomorrow.
- Phase I, Part II - in order to repressurize the system once the transmission line is repaired, all meters must be off at the main. We have crews from multiple states here who are manually shutting all meters off so that we do not have to wait for that to happen once the line is repaired. Shutting everyone off will be done before the line is repaired.
Phase II involves repressurizing the system - this may take several hours. We will need to flush everything, let air out and go through a number of other safety steps so that the mains have gas to deliver safely. This step will be undertaken in sequential "zones". The outage map (above) will be updated with the zones when we have the information.
Phase III - once each zone is repressurized, individual meters must be turned on manually and all gas appliances re-lit. The timeline for this process will be updated after Phase I is complete. One zone at a time (working from the break-site outwards), they will turn meters back on. If you are home when they come to turn the meter back on, they will re-light all of your gas appliances. If you are not home when they come to turn the meter back on, they will leave a door knocker with a number to call to schedule assistance with re-lighting.

Phones at City Hall are open throughout the night if you have questions and updates will continue to be posted here. If you have a specific concern that you feel has not been addressed sufficiently - please let city staff know, and we will do our best to make it right.

The Convention and Visitors Bureau is maintaining a list of open hotels and restaurants - if you are a business owner with an update, please contact CVB staff:

A list of available lodging can be found here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1UMPybp8MTJVtup6YV21QzxIzzjKyvDerCDJW9Kzdgvw/edit?usp=sharing

A list of open restaurants can be found here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1auN7f8j7kswPsLVjLk2MxulPtq6Y_GVThEuiueyVhFA/edit?usp=sharing

NUEVA ACTUALIZACIÓN - 9:00 PM 4/10

Michigan Gas instaló su Centro de Operaciones en el Ayuntamiento a primera hora de esta mañana; Sus tripulaciones se están quedando sin nuestra oficina por el momento. ¡Estamos agradecidos con los restaurantes de la zona que han estado trayendo comida a los trabajadores aquí y con los hoteles de la zona que están alojando a estos socorristas!

La Cruz Roja ha establecido un refugio en la Iglesia de la Tercera Costa, la dirección es 6069 Blue Star Hwy, Saugatuck, MI 49453. Allí hay una ducha disponible. Si necesita transporte al refugio, llame al 269-673-4229 o al 1-877-788-2287 para el Tránsito Interurbano del Condado de Allegan. Tenga a mano la siguiente información para la oficina de programación:
Su nombre y dirección
Su destino
Fecha y hora solicitadas para el transporte de ida y vuelta
Si necesita un vehículo accesible o asistencia
Se requiere la fecha de nacimiento para la tarifa para personas mayores
Número de teléfono

La Ciudad ha levantado un mapa de apagones: https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/4e865b5c700a4cdfad24d2311a067ceb. Las cuadrillas en tierra informan que algunas de las ubicaciones faltan en sus asignaciones: tan pronto como Michigan Gas me envíe una hoja de cálculo actualizada, actualizaré el mapa. El mapa también se actualizará con las zonas en algún momento de esta noche o temprano mañana.

La restauración es un enfoque de múltiples fases en este momento. A medida que termina cada fase, puede comenzar una nueva fase, pero parte del problema de la línea de tiempo ha sido que no sabemos cuándo terminará la Fase I:

La Fase I consta de dos partes, las partes se realizan al mismo tiempo y por equipos separados. Esperamos terminar con la Fase I el viernes.
- Fase I, Parte I: las cuadrillas están trabajando para reparar la línea de transmisión: trabajaron toda la noche anoche y trabajarán toda la noche de hoy. Esperan estar terminados a primera hora de la tarde de mañana.
- Fase I, Parte II: para represurizar el sistema una vez que se repare la línea de transmisión, todos los medidores deben estar apagados en la tubería principal. Tenemos cuadrillas de varios estados aquí que están apagando manualmente todos los medidores para que no tengamos que esperar a que eso suceda una vez que se repare la línea. El apagado de todos se realizará antes de que se repare la línea.
La fase II consiste en represurizar el sistema, lo que puede llevar varias horas. Tendremos que enjuagar todo, dejar salir el aire y pasar por una serie de otras medidas de seguridad para que la red tenga gas para suministrar de forma segura. Este paso se llevará a cabo en "zonas" secuenciales. El mapa de apagones (arriba) se actualizará con las zonas cuando tengamos la información.
Fase III: una vez que se represuriza cada zona, los medidores individuales deben encenderse manualmente y todos los aparatos de gas deben volver a encenderse. El cronograma de este proceso se actualizará una vez que se complete la Fase I. Una zona a la vez (trabajando desde el sitio de ruptura hacia afuera), volverán a encender los medidores. Si usted está en casa cuando vengan a volver a encender el medidor, volverán a encender todos sus aparatos de gas. Si no está en casa cuando vengan a volver a encender el medidor, dejarán una aldaba con un número al que llamar para programar asistencia con el reencendido.

Los teléfonos en el Ayuntamiento están abiertos durante toda la noche si tiene preguntas y las actualizaciones continuarán publicándose aquí. Si tiene una inquietud específica que cree que no se ha abordado lo suficiente, infórmeselo al personal de la ciudad y haremos todo lo posible para solucionarla.

La Oficina de Convenciones y Visitantes mantiene una lista de hoteles y restaurantes abiertos: si usted es propietario de un negocio con una actualización, comuníquese con el personal de CVB:

Una lista de alojamientos disponibles se puede encontrar aquí: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1UMPybp8MTJVtup6YV21QzxIzzjKyvDerCDJW9Kzdgvw/edit?usp=sharing

Una lista de restaurantes abiertos se puede encontrar aquí: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1auN7f8j7kswPsLVjLk2MxulPtq6Y_GVThEuiueyVhFA/edit?usp=sharing

NEW UPDATE - 1:30 PM 4/10

As of right now gas is still out. The current outlook is at least 48-72 hours until gas will be starting to be restored.

Fennville City Hall has been set up as a base of operations for Michigan Gas Utilities. One of the first steps that needs to be completed is all gas needs to be shut off at the meter for all affected homes and business. Crews from all over the Midwest are going out today and over the next few days to turn everyone off. They are currently deployed.
Please let the Michigan Gas Utilities Workers complete these tasks as it will allow for the gas to be turned on sooner. All workers are carrying identification - call City Hall if you have questions. They do not need to gain access inside the home to turn off the gas.

The transmission line which was damaged is being restored throughout the night - current outlook is that it will be repaired early tomorrow morning. However, the line being repaired does not mean the gas will be back on right away. There are a number of safety steps which must be taken, including flushing the lines, to make sure the relighting of individual homes is safe. After the safety steps have been taken, the process of turning the gas back on can begin.

When we turn gas back on, it will need to be done sequentially - which means that we will be asking residents to be home to allow access for the workers. Workers from all over the Midwest will be here for this process - including Minnesota, Wisconsin, and other states. We will be doing our best to restore gas as soon as possible for all affected homes and businesses.

A list of available lodging can be found here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1UMPybp8MTJVtup6YV21QzxIzzjKyvDerCDJW9Kzdgvw/edit?usp=sharing

A list of open restaurants can be found here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1auN7f8j7kswPsLVjLk2MxulPtq6Y_GVThEuiueyVhFA/edit?usp=sharing

Posted on: 4/9/2025

Natural Gas outages in Allegan County Include approximately 5,200 households including:
City of Saugatuck, The City of Douglas, Saugatuck Township, Ganges Township, Clyde Township, and City of Fennville.
At this time, service is not expected to be restored for several days

Allegan County Emergency Management is working to establish a warming station for residents impacted-details to come.

For City of Fennville residents with questions, please call our after hours numbers- 269-543-2645 & 269-416-1589. The Red Cross is also available 1-800-733-2767.