![\"Coffee](\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/ba2aa1714b6a36525e34b487f36829f5.jpg\")
<\/a>\r\n\r\nPhoto: GA Insurance and Fire Commissioner, of\r\nCoffee Corner demolished, Homerville, GA.\r\n<\/p>\r\n
\r\nSo small the U.S. agency supposedly responsible for safety\r\ndoesn’t even show it in its maps.\r\nA pipeline is owned by Southern Company,\r\nand apparently originates on my property,\r\nstarting from another pipeline half-owned by Southern Company.\r\n\r\n
\r\nThat SONAT pipeline\r\n\r\nin 2014 was snagged by a dirt road ditch puller<\/a>,\r\nsending a plume of dust 300 feet into the air.\r\nIf there had been a spark, people I’ve known all my life\r\nmight not have had homes to go back to.\r\n \r\nSo why does Sabal Trail claim its 500-mile-long IED is safe?\r\nAnd why is Southern Company wasting our resources and risking\r\nour safety by buying into pipelines while ramping down its\r\nnew investments in solar power?\r\n \r\nBrunswick Daily News, 17 August 2018,\r\n\r\nThe Latest: Leaking gas blamed for coffee shop explosion<\/a>,\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n11:30 p.m.\r\n<\/p>\r\n \r\nAuthorities say natural gas leaking into a sewer line caused an\r\nexplosion that destroyed a coffee shop in rural Georgia and\r\nseriously injured three people.\r\n<\/p>\r\n \r\nGlenn Allen, a spokesman for Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire\r\nCommissioner Ralph Hudgens, said late Friday that investigators\r\ndetermined a construction crew installing fiber optic cable in the\r\ntiny city of Homerville punctured an underground natural gas line.\r\n<\/p>\r\n \r\nAllen says that gas leaked into a sewer line connected to the coffee\r\nshop, where the gas built up and was ignited by a spark shortly\r\nafter noon Friday.\r\n<\/p>\r\n \r\nAllen says two employees and a customer suffered serious injuries,\r\nincluding burns. Investigators initially reported all three injured\r\npeople were coffee shop employees.\r\n<\/p>\r\n \r\nThe injured people were airlifted to a hospital in Gainesville,\r\nFlorida.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n \r\nA couple of other stories say all three injuried parties were women.\r\n \r\nThe City of Homerville’s facebook page\r\n\r\nabout 1:30 PM yesterday reported<\/a>:\r\n \r\nThe City of Homerville has closed down due to on going issues within\r\nthe downtown area. Please stay safe and avoid the downtown area\r\nuntil further notice. First responders and all other crews need the\r\narea to be as free of traffic as possible in order to get their jobs\r\ndone. Prayers for everyone involved!!\r\n<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n \r\nAbout 10:30AM this morning, Homerville reported<\/a>:\r\n \r\nAll roads in Homerville are now open. The downtown area is open as\r\nwell.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n \r\nWhere did the gas come from that sent three women to the hospital,\r\ndestroyed a business, and shut a city down for a day?\r\n \r\nNo pipelines at all for Clinch County are shown by the\r\n\r\npublic map viewer<\/a>\r\nof the\r\n\r\nPipeline and Hazardous Substances Safety Administration (PHMSA)<\/a>:\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\nHow does the methane get there, then?\r\n \r\nAs near as I can tell, only WCTV thought to find which gas company and ask them.\r\nWCTV Eyewitness News,\r\nAugust 17, 2018,\r\n\r\nThree seriously injured in explosion at Homerville coffee shop<\/a>,\r\n \r\nWe reached out to Atlanta Gas Light for comment on the incident.\r\nThey said in a statement, “Atlanta Gas Light is committed to\r\nensuring the safety of every family we serve. We are aware of an\r\nincident in Homerville, Georgia. We are working with local\r\nauthorities to determine the nature of the incident and will\r\ncontinue to keep our customers and community informed.”\r\n<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n \r\nI see that name every time I go by the west part of my property:\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\nThat sign says “Atlanta Gas Light, An AGL Resources Company.”\r\nIt doesn’t say, nor did WCTV, that\r\n\r\nAGL was bought by Southern Company, merger completed 1 July 2016<\/a>.\r\n \r\nPHMSA doesn’t show that AGL pipeline in Lowndes County, either:\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\nBut PHMSA does show the pipeline that AGL pipeline originates from\r\non my property:\r\nthe Southern Natural Gas (SONAT) pipeline that turns north into Berrien County.\r\n \r\nHere is WCTV reporting about the Sabal Trail pipeline from in front of that SONAT pipeline station\r\non my property<\/a>, with the AGL pipeline station visible in the background.\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\nIn Berrien County, you can see a little blue dot southwest of Ray City\r\nthat also shows up on the other pipeline maps above, because I checked the box for “Incidents (Gas)”:\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\nSince then, Southern Company bought half of SONAT from Kinder Morgan,\r\n\r\nstrategic venture finalized by 1 September 2016<\/a>.\r\n \r\nWALB TV of Albany, GA, reported<\/a>:\r\n \r\nThe Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commission said the explosion has been ruled accidental.\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n \r\nYou know what doesn’t explode, even by accident?\r\nSolar panels.\r\n \r\nThis Homerville explosion has been covered by everybody from\r\nthe\r\nClinch County News<\/a>\r\n(apparently the first to report the story,\r\non its facebook page about noon yesterday<\/a>),\r\nthe\r\n\r\nValdosta Daily Times<\/a>,\r\nValdosta Today<\/a>,\r\nboth of Valdosta, GA,\r\n\r\nWTXL TV<\/a>,\r\nTallahassee, Florida,\r\nthe\r\nLedger-Inquirer<\/a> of Columbus, GA,\r\nThe Dothan Eagle<\/a>,\r\nAlabama,\r\n\r\nWXGA Fox 31<\/a>, Macon, GA,\r\n\r\nWSB TV<\/a>, Atlanta, GA,\r\n\r\nThe Herald<\/a> of Rock Hill, South Carolina,\r\n\r\n10WAVY.com<\/a> of tidewater Virginia,\r\n\r\nThe Roanoke Times<\/a>, Virginia,\r\n\r\nThe Bradford Era<\/a>,\r\nPennsylvania,\r\n\r\nCP24 TV<\/a>,\r\nToronto, Ontario, Canada,\r\nand the\r\nWashington Post<\/a>,\r\nmostly carrying the same Associated Press story.\r\n \r\nMaybe all this national news about the Homerville pipeline explosion will get\r\npeople thinking about why do we need pipelines at all anymore,\r\nnow that solar power is here, employing more people than all\r\nof coal, oil, and gas electricity production,\r\nand, along with wind, adding more new electricity each year than any other power source?\r\n \r\nAGL’s own system map<\/a> does<\/em> show its pipeline\r\ntaking off from SONAT on my property, going a few miles southeast to Moody AFB,\r\nturning north to Ray City,\r\nand then east to Lakeland and Homerville.\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\nAGL’s map legend marks the SONAT pipeline up to Nashville, GA,\r\nas an “Interstate Pipeline.”\r\nMaybe that’s PHMSA’s excuse for not showing it on PHMSA’s maps.\r\n \r\nThe three burned women still had to be taken\r\nfrom the demolished Homerville coffee shop \r\nto hospital in Gainesville, Florida.\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\nWho is in charge of pipeline safety, if not PHMSA?\r\n \r\nMaybe the sewer department.\r\nClinch County News\r\nreported on its facebook page shortly after noon today<\/a>:\r\n \r\nAn UPDATE on the explosion in Homerville yesterday:\r\n<\/p>\r\n \r\nThe Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Department has concluded their\r\ninvestigation into Friday’s explosion at Coffee Corner<\/a> in\r\nHomerville. According to Glenn Allen, spokesman for that department,\r\nthe explosion was caused by gas that leaked into a sewer line\r\nconnected to the East Dame Avenue building. Allen said that on\r\nFriday, utility crews working nearby struck a gas line and a sewer\r\nline.\r\n<\/p>\r\n \r\n“They knew they struck a gas line, and AGL (Atlanta Gas & Light)\r\ncapped the gas line,” Allen said Saturday morning. “But it was\r\nunknown that they had also hit a sewer line. That ended up resulting\r\nin the explosion.”\r\n<\/p>\r\n \r\nThe gas from the leak went into the sewer line, and into Coffee\r\nCorner, igniting in a fiery explosion inside the building.\r\n<\/p>\r\n \r\nHe said the department’s probe ruled the incident accidental.\r\n<\/p>\r\n \r\nThe explosion occured at 12:17 p.m. Friday, and injured three\r\nHomerville women who were inside Coffee Corner — customer\r\nEmily Tolle and employees Anna O’Guin and Baylee Tolle. Baylee and\r\nEmily are sisters.\r\n<\/p>\r\n \r\nThey were life-flighted to Shands Hospital in Gainesville, Fla. from\r\nthe Homerville Airport. According to family members, O’Guin has been\r\ndiagnosed with third-degree burns on her hands, arms and feet.\r\nBaylee Tolle has been diagnosed with third-degree burns on her legs,\r\nand Emily Tolle has been diagnosed with third-degree burns on her\r\narms and hands. The sisters’ father, Shannon Tolle, said Baylee\r\nTolle has 40 percent of her body burned, and Emily around 20\r\npercent.\r\n<\/p>\r\n \r\nThe explosion destroyed the small, brick building near the\r\nintersection of Highways 84 and 441. Tolle said his daughters\r\ncrawled from the wreckage of the building. A bystander, Shannon\r\nSmith of Homerville, helped O’Guin escape the building, which was\r\nbriefly on fire.\r\n<\/p>\r\n \r\n“We want to thank everyone for all the prayers and support they have\r\nshown us,” said Shannon Tolle Saturday. “It means so much to us to\r\nhave the community support us and pray for us. We appreciate\r\neveryone — from the emergency workers to the people at the\r\nhospital — and what they have done to help.”\r\n<\/p>\r\n \r\nO’Guin’s stepfather, Robbie Lee of Fargo, said the girls need the\r\ncommunity’s prayers in facing recovery.\r\n<\/p>\r\n \r\n“We are asking everyone to pray to God for pain relief and guidance\r\nfor the doctors to do what’s right for these girls,” Lee said in a\r\nFacebook message. “They have a long way to go but we feel fortunate\r\nwe have a God, family, and community behind us.”\r\n<\/p>\r\n \r\nHomerville Mayor Tom Kennedy said emergency and utility crews have\r\ncleared downtown Homerville of any further danger from the leak.\r\nShortly after the explosion, downtown businesses were shut down as\r\nofficials looked to see if gas was an issue at any other facilities.\r\n<\/p>\r\n \r\nThe News will have more on this story in its next edition, coming\r\nout Wednesday. We will also update here on further developments.\r\n<\/p>\r\n \r\nStory by Len Robbins, The Clinch County News \u00a9\r\n \r\nApparently not Southern Company.\r\nAs of May 2018, they still claimed these barrels of “hydrocarbons”\r\nwere safe, sitting under a tarp beneath hundred-foot-tall pine trees\r\nin a fire forest:\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\nSince then they have reduced the number of barrels to two and\r\nmade sure they are both partly covered by the tarp, as if that solves the problem.\r\n \r\nThis is the same Southern Company that with AGL Resources got\r\nPivotal LNG, trucking liquid natural gas down I-75 to Jacksonville, Florida<\/a>.\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
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![\"PHMSA](\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/7ddfc52f28fb4d4a101864f4e438a221.jpg\")
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![\"AGL,](\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/88eec24224172824060a8872b8cc4796.jpg\")
<\/a>\r\n<\/p>\r\n![\"SONAT](\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/76d8353fccf9e0918aa4a9a10d5e5b3b.jpg\")
<\/a>\r\n<\/p>\r\n![\"Interviewing](\"http:\/\/wwals.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/pianoblack\/img\/\/2016\/01\/aaf3e531d71fb4ad7ebdfb0d8c39ab00.jpg\")
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\r\nPicture of John S. Quarterman, president of WWALS Watershed Coalition, Inc.\r\nbeing interviewed by Noelani Mathews of WCTV<\/a> by Gretchen Quarterman, WWALS Treasurer, for WWALS, 27 January 2016.\r\n<\/p>\r\n![\"SONAT](\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/df6c453a75b49e171e04dbb5113b32b2.jpg\")
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![\"Lowndes,](\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/4996c7fea8a73c44f3ecb9d3d49f0e58.jpg\")
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\r\n\r\nAtlanta Gas Light Company Pipeline System<\/a>\r\n<\/p>\r\n![\"Legend,](\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/2a02804d9db987bd05b0ee644ce86944.jpg\")
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Legend, AGL Map \r\n<\/p>\r\n![\"Georgia,](\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/8a43cfdac9dbbcab74c59fb487ac9539.jpg\")
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Georgia, AGL Map \r\n<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n![](\"https:\/\/scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net\/v\/t1.0-9\/39401700_10215979996948969_5187447953781948416_n.jpg?_nc_cat=0&oh=7edcd81be16e89107c6bfd4759e0fba4&oe=5C02B660\")
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\r\nPhoto:\r\n\r\nfacebook post<\/a> by Marissa Smith Phillips, apparently of the three injured women,\r\nBaylee Tolle, Emily Tolle, Anna O’Guin.\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\r\nPhoto by Laura Nipper, The Clinch County News \u00a9\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n![\"Barrels,](\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/9a003c6790502e87deefdf140bc63548.jpg\")
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![\"I-75](\"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/6a4573c50ddad99a10cb34aef5cd63d7.jpg\")
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