SoCal Gas Co. Community Resource Center Begins Operating On New Hours In Porter Ranch

PORTER RANCH (CBSLA.com) — The Community Resource Center (CRC) began operating on new hours Wednesday to better reflect the changing needs of Porter Ranch-area residents who are seeking services related to the natural gas leak.

According to Southern California Gas Co. officials, the center will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays. The CRC will remain closed on Sundays and Mondays.

In January, the CRC served more than 500 visitors each day. Since then, daily visits have declined nearly 70 percent.

In total, the center has served more than 23,000 visitors. It is being staffed by more than 25 trained employees, a board-certified physician and multi-language interpreters to answer questions about relocation, reimbursements, claims and other information.

SoCal Gas Co. has processed more than 17,000 reimbursements to date, totaling more than $36 million.

Meanwhile, the utility company continues to offer exterior home cleaning to homeowners who have reported brown spots that are believed to be related to the leaking well. Authorities will also assess reports of residue on surfaces inside homes.

"We are committed to helping communities affected by the leak return to normal as fast as possible, and when residents expressed concerns about brown spots at local parks, we immediately mobilized crews to address the issue," said Gillian Wright, SoCalGas Vice President for Customer Services.

The exterior cleaning program is also expanding to include public parks located near the facility. Playground equipment and exterior fencing was cleaned at Holleigh Bernson Memorial and Moonshine Canyon Parks on Tuesday.

Additional assessments were made at Palisades Park, Viking Park and Porter Ridge Park today.

SoCal Gas Co. officials report sampling results that have been viewed by both a toxicologist and a medical expert suggest that the brown residue does not pose a health risk to the public.

Extensive testing and continued analysis by health and air quality experts continue to show that air quality in the Porter Ranch community has completely returned to normal levels.

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