CHARLOTTE, N.C. — After Hurricane Ida made landfall on Sunday, the Colonial Pipeline announced as a 'precautionary and routine safety measure' two fuel lines from Houston to Greensboro were shut down temporarily.
Colonial Pipeline said it expects to return those lines to service the evening of Aug. 30, pending completion of restart protocols.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with our neighbors and colleagues across the southern coastline impacted by this extreme weather event,” said Wes Dunbar, vice president of operations for Colonial Pipeline. “As part of our weather preparedness and response plans, we have procedures in place to ensure the safety, protection, and integrity of our pipeline and our assets – including proactively shutting down our lines when necessary.”
The pipeline company said they have an extensive emergency preparedness program in place and activated its emergency response plan.
“We know that millions of Americans, along with our customers and other businesses, benefit from our system for critical fuel supplies at times like these,” added Dunbar. “We try to be as prepared as possible for these types of weather events through extensive and continuous planning that prioritizes the safety of the public, our employees and contractors, and the reliable operation of our pipeline. I’m proud of the preparations by our team in advance of Ida’s landfall.”
Some of those preparations are:
- Reviewing hurricane preparedness plans and updating as appropriate.
- Ensuring emergency response equipment is inventoried and in top working condition.
- Placing additional equipment at appropriate facilities to support storm response.
- Reviewing and updating contracts with vendors and other special services.
- Monitoring multiple forecasting systems to ensure any response effort is well prepared.
A spokesperson with the Colonial Pipeline told WCNC Charlotte this was a temporary, routine safety precaution that’s happened in similar weather incidents last year and this year.
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