May 7, 2015 - As a safety precaution, technicians from natural gas provider, Black Hills Energy, are working with emergency officials in the communities of Fairbury and DeWitt to temporarily shut off natural gas service to customers in the areas affected by flooding.

Black Hills Energy will turn off the natural gas at locations affected by flooding as a safety measure to avoid the risk of natural gas leaks that may occur when equipment or appliances are submerged and pilot lights are extinguished.

If any customer smells natural gas, they should leave the home or business immediately and call Black Hills Energy on a cell phone outside the building or use a neighbor's phone. Do not use the phone in the location where the smell of natural gas was detected, nor turn off any lights when exiting. If there is a natural gas leak, a spark could ignite it. Black Hills Energy's 24-hour emergency number is 800-694-8989.

When floodwaters recede, Black Hills Energy employees will conduct safety checks to restore natural gas service to affected homes and businesses and relight pilot lights. Natural gas meters and appliances that have been submerged in floodwaters must be inspected by a technician before service is restored.

"Floodwaters carry silt and other contaminants that damage air conditioners and natural gas meters and appliances such as water heaters and furnaces," said Paul Marsolek, Black Hills Energy's local operations supervisor. "A Black Hills Energy technician ensures the natural gas metering equipment is working properly, and an appliance repair professional inspects natural gas appliances and equipment prior to service restoration."

Once customers are able to return home and are ready for natural gas service to be restored, Black Hills Energy is asking them to call Black Hills so that technicians can perform the free safety inspection and restore service. Black Hills Energy's customer service number is 888-890-5554. Black Hills customer service associates are available around the clock, seven days a week. Customers will need to work with their homeowner's insurance carrier to discuss appliance and equipment repairs that may be required. At locations where no one is home or the business is closed, a tag will be left on the door notifying the customer that the natural gas has been shut off and to call the company for it to be turned back on.

Black Hills Energy is prepared when there is weather-related service issues and outages, and the company's ability to respond quickly is the result of actions taken before flooding actually occurs, including coordinating efforts with local emergency officials when flooding threatens a community.

Black Hills Energy's field resource center, responsible for dispatching Black Hills Energy service crews, operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

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