KVOA.com

Hundreds of seniors have no heat

Share This Video

URL

Embed

Iframe

 

close

+ SHARE

Views:

${title} Views: ${media:community.statistics.views} Rating: ${media:community.starRating.average} ${created}

Prev Next

News Articles

Posted 9:28 PM 12/29/2012 : Hundreds of seniors have no heat

TUCSON - More than 200 seniors are without gas heat in a North Side mobile home community.

Friendly Village of the Catalinas is for people who are at least 55 years old. It is near River and Oracle Roads.

Agnes Novak, 87, and her daughter, Linda Nosek, live together.

"This is no problem for me," Novak said, "none whatsoever."

Her daughter disagrees.

"I'm extremely unhappy," Nosek said, "inconvenienced."

They have not had gas since Wednesday, according to Nosek.

Friendly Village owns and operates the gas lines. They have to make their own repairs. Southwest Gas just provides to 1 master meter.

"You don't even get a good night sleep," Nosek said, "because the weather is down to freezing."

Novak grew up in Iowa and does not mind.

"There's many ways to heat water besides gas in a pipe," she said. "We used to heat water in a boiler on a cook stove."

The management is providing space heaters, heat blankets and anything else people need to survive the weather, according to James Kai, who is part of the management team.

They are also going door to door checking on people, according to Kai.

"They have taken care of me all the time we've lived here, which is almost 15 years," Novak said, "but I am very happy with this place, and they have been so good to me."

They are still making repairs, even calling help from out of town. There are more than 3 miles of lines in the community, and crews keep finding water in the system.

The Arizona Corporation Commission has to inspect before Southwest Gas turns service back on.

Management sent a letter to residents saying it will not be done this weekend. They will provide temporary showers Sunday afternoon.

Recent Videos