As the Current River swelled to unprecedented levels near Doniphan, Mo. last week, service technicians Alex McGonigal and Robbie Stewart were busy moving propane tanks to higher ground. Flooding in the area damaged homes, businesses and the local city hall, but the quick response from McGonigal and Stewart helped to minimize any losses for the company.
Southeast Service Manager Bill Jung and Propane Safety Manager David Grothoff soon arrived on the scene and worked with the service technicians to anchor any tanks that could not be moved, including a 30,000-gallon storage tank at the Doniphan bulk plant. Grothoff brought a boat to assist their efforts as the historic flood waters continued to rise and the men worked around the clock to ensure the storage tank valves were shut off and that it didn’t float away.
Once the large storage tank was secured, the service team worked to shut off any residential tanks in the area threatened by the flood waters.
“If the tanks are in a flood plain, they should already be anchored,” Grothoff says. “We shut off the residential tanks in areas we expect to flood to prevent any potentially dangerous situations.”
About 40 miles northward in Van Buren, Mo., several residential propane tanks were swept away by the overflowing Current River.
“We’ve had to chase down quite a few customer tanks,” Jung says. “Most are just over turned in the customer’s yard, but a few went farther. We’re working on getting them reset in an upright position.”
Although the flood waters have mostly receded by now, many customers will have to wait before their propane tanks can be reconnected to their homes.
“If the flooding gets into the home and damages the appliances, they will need to make repairs before we can hook up their propane again,” Jung says. “It will be a long process. There’s going to be a backlog of appliance work and home repairs that will need to be done before we can move forward. Plus, there are still some bridges and roads that are flooded in the area so that makes it harder to get things done.”
More Photos from the Flood
