Residents ready for another busy week in Merrimack Valley explosions aftermath

Residents in the Merrimack Valley are getting ready for another busy week following the gas explosions from a few weeks ago, as gas main repairs being across impacted communities on Monday.

There is almost 40 miles of gas line that need to be replaced, and town officials are fighting to make sure Columbia Gas pays for whatever residents need to remain in their homes comfortably.

Residents in Lawrence, Andover and North Andover entered their 10th day without gas service on Sunday, with over 8,000 people impacted.

This weekend, many families received hot plates and will get space heaters in the coming days. Electricians and fire officials will go door-to-door to make sure families are set up safely.

The National Guard helped to deliver nearly 7,000 hot plates this weekend.

"It's different, but we are going to have to get used to it until the gas is back on," Arkie Saiwai, a Lawrence resident, said.

Saiwai said being able to cook in a warm home brings some relief, but doesn't solve what may be the worst issue.

"Not being able to take a shower in your own home is the hardest thing for me," Saiwai said.

Officials in Andover said they met with Columbia Gas representatives Saturday and committed to reimbursing residents who choose to switch to electric or oil.

The full claims process is on the town's website, and the company says they will reimburse "reasonable costs of permanently switching to an alternative fuel source for appliances or systems that were fueled by natural gas prior to the outage."

• Guidelines on how claims will be handled

Families can also choose to switch only for the duration of the outage, and will be reimbursed to convert back to gas, as well.

"At first I was like, 'What is all of Lawrence going to do?" Saiwai said. "Now, it’s kind of been better because we have had shelters help us, and we have had multiple people helping us, but it has still been pretty hard."

Daouda Saiwai said the biggest difference has been adjusting to the stove top cooker, and the lack of heat. However, they said it's a lesson to never take anything for granted.

“I think it’s very important for people to appreciate what they have, because, yeah we had to evacuate and sleep at a shelter, but some people don’t have anything to come home to," Daouda Saiwai said.

Work on replacing the underground pipeline will begin Monday with a target date of completion on Nov. 19. Until then, residents are living with a new daily reality as the cold weather arrives.

>> Safety tips for using space heaters and hot plates

Cox Media Group