HOUSING HELP ROLLS IN
Gas victims get more options to stay warm
Residents booted from their homes after the Sept. 13 gas explosions will now have options to live in alternative housing, Columbia Gas and the Massachusetts Emergency Management System announced yesterday.
The program includes over 3,000 hotel rooms, 150 apartments, 360 travel trailers and a shelter that will serve as a warming center with hot showers. Hotels and apartments were made available yesterday while trailers and the shelter will be ready “in the coming days,” according to a press release from the Baker-Polito administration.
“We are pleased to announce housing options, especially for our most vulnerable residents, to make this recovery process a little easier and provide essential services as the days get cooler,” said Gov. Charlie Baker. “Since tragedy struck thousands of residents in the Merrimack Valley leaving them without heat and hot water in their homes, the team has been working around the clock to make repairs and offer services.”
Any resident in the impacted area is eligible for housing, which is paid for by Columbia Gas, meaning residents will not have to go through a reimbursement process. Transportation arrangements using Uber and Lyft will also be made available for residents who do not have their own transportation.
“While the first line of defense for cold weather is for the recovery, construction and restoration effort to make the Nov. 19 target date, it is our responsibility to plan for all eventualities,” said Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera. “This housing alternative plan gets as many people as possible out of the cold and into a warm place, focusing on the most needy, and most vulnerable, as the hard work of getting homes ‘gas ready, house ready’ and lit presses on.”
According to Columbia Gas spokesman Ken Stammen, 340 families already have been placed in alternative housing as of yesterday morning.
Participating hotels are all within 30 miles of the affected areas and have been reserved by Columbia Gas through mid-November. Apartments include one-, two- and three-bedroom units and are located within 15 miles of the three impacted communities.
Four sites are being established for the travel trailers, with two sites in Lawrence, one site in Andover and another in North Andover. The Acadia trailers are 30 feet long and include kitchens, bathrooms with showers and sleeping spaces for up to eight people. Each trailer site will have management, maintenance and security personnel.
The gas explosions left 10,000 residents without heat and hot water. Service is expected to be restored to all homes and businesses by Nov. 19.