NECN, Boston FRIDAY SEPT. 14 2018 - On the afternoon of Thurs. Sept. 13, a series of fires and explosions occurred north of Boston in the communities of Lawrence, North Andover and Andover. 18-year-old Leonel Rondon was killed and 13 patients were treated with injuries at Lawrence General Hospital. Large areas of those communities were evacuated and some residents as of Friday morning were not allowed back to their homes until further notice. Massachusetts State Police stated 70 fires, explosions and reports of gas odors were confirmed to be in relation with the incident.
Throughout what was described as "Armageddon" Columbia Gas did not release a statement until four hours after the fires and explosions. Mass. Governor Charlie Baker stated in a conference late Thurs. evening that Columbia Gas' response to the events was, "Adequate." Friday morning, two Columbia Gas representatives collected names, phone numbers and answered questions. Victims and residents gathered at First and Main Marketplace in North Andover. However, many were left more frustrated and left with no answers. The vital question being, "Is it safe to return?" The representatives failed to respond. One attendee with his young son said, "You keep walking away from us, but we can't walk away." Democratic candidate for Mass Governor, Jay Gonzalez, said he is, "outraged by the slow response from Columbia Gas to the devastation caused by its gas pipelines." Many suggest that what unfolded yesterday and the lack of immediate response to what is happening is anything but adequate. Nearly a full day has gone by with officials and residents left with more questions than answers. Columbia Gas of Massachusetts serves 313,000 customers in Mass, providing natural gas to 65 communities throughout the Commonwealth. 51,000 of those customers are served toward those three Merrimack Valley communities. As a communication major, the importance of having a solidified crisis response and management plan is vital to an organization. Everyone is vulnerable to crises. Some companies past and present fail to recognize the detrimental effects of inadequate preparedness of communication both internally and externally. The explosions and fires that occurred in the Merrimack Valley of Massachusetts has made global headlines on both Thursday and Friday. An incident of this magnitude being left with no one taking responsibility or responding to the devastating events will leave an everlasting and damaged imprint on Columbia Gas. -C
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |