SAN ANTONIO – CPS Energy continued distributing gas detectors to residents of the Preston Hollow subdivision on Tuesday, following two separate home explosions last week.
Since then, neighbors have been looking for ways to feel safe and have asked their city council person about gas detectors.
District 10 Councilman Marc Whyte represents residents of the Preston Hollow area and said he has taken their request to CPS Energy.
“I contacted leadership at CPS (Energy) and asked about these gas detection devices,” he said. ”CPS (Energy) agreed to provide them to the neighborhood.”
The utility provided the detectors to residents for free.
Whyte said Tuesday morning that about 30 detectors had been distributed since distribution began on Monday.
The San Antonio Fire Department was assisting CPS Energy.
One neighbor showed KSAT the type of detector he received from the company.
He received a 2-in-1 combination gas and carbon monoxide detector that plugs into an outlet and has a compartment for a single AA battery, which is supposed to be used in case of a power outage.
The neighbor, who did not want to be identified, said the gas detector is providing a sense of security but echoed what many living on and near Preston Hollow Drive have expressed.
He said they will not feel safe until they learn the official cause of the gas leak that resulted in the explosions.
The timeline for the primary findings of the investigation will be available in about 30 days.
Those findings will be provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which is leading the investigation.
As neighbors wait for that information, Whyte said there is some movement regarding his request to the city manager to convene a special session to review all inter-agency, department, and utility emergency responses and communications from April 21, the date of the explosions.
“We’re going to have that meeting within the next six weeks or so, I believe,” Whyte said. ”We’re also going to gather all the department heads and agencies that we can and get everybody in the same room and get a presentation on how the city handles these things, and then council members will be able to ask some questions from there.”
The councilman also stressed that neighbors affected by the explosions are encouraged to visit the District 10 website and click the Preston Hollow page to access information and review the listed resources for assistance provided by the city and CPS Energy.
KSAT continues to follow updates on the Preston Hollow home explosions. Read more of our coverage below: