Atmos Energy Corporation Prepares For Hurricane Rita.DALLAS -- Atmos Energy Atmos Energy (NYSE: ATO), headquartered in Dallas, Texas, is the largest distributor of natural gas in the United States, serving 3.1 million customers nationwide. Atmos acquired TXU's natural gas and pipeline holdings in 2004. Corporation (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange :ATO ATO Australian Taxation Office ATO Ambito Territoriale Ottimale (Italy) ATO Alpha Tau Omega ATO Air Traffic Organization (FAA) ATO Arab Towns Organization ATO Air Tasking Order ATO Assemble To Order ) said it is bracing for Hurricane Rita Hurricane Rita was the fourth-most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded and the most intense tropical cyclone ever observed in the Gulf of Mexico. Rita caused $11.3 billion in damage on the U.S. Gulf Coast in September 2005. and encourages its natural gas customers also to prepare. Atmos Energy is the largest natural gas distributor in Texas. Although it has limited operations near the Gulf Coast, most customers and facilities are in central, north and west Texas. Atmos Energy employees near Houston are complying with orders from authorities and are evacuating their families. However, Atmos Energy field employees continue to be available to assist customers in emergency situations. In addition, Atmos Energy first-response teams will be stationed at secure facilities in the region until the storm passes and then will assess damage and make necessary repairs once authorities allow them to return. Atmos Energy also plans to provide crews to assist neighboring neigh·bor n. 1. One who lives near or next to another. 2. A person, place, or thing adjacent to or located near another. 3. A fellow human. 4. Used as a form of familiar address. v. utilities, depending on the extent of the damage. "Customers do not have to do anything special with respect to their gas service, whether they are evacuating or remaining," said Earl Fischer, Atmos Energy's senior vice president of utility operations. "One of the benefits of natural gas is that it's safe and sound, underground." Fischer said the company does not expect supply interruptions to its customers because of the extensive shut down of natural gas production platforms in the Gulf of Mexico Noun 1. Gulf of Mexico - an arm of the Atlantic to the south of the United States and to the east of Mexico Golfo de Mexico Atlantic, Atlantic Ocean - the 2nd largest ocean; separates North and South America on the west from Europe and Africa on the east . "Most of our gas supply in Texas comes from West Texas, the Fort Worth Basin and other Midcontinent producing areas rather than from offshore," Fischer said. "However, the disruption in the national gas supply system will likely increase all natural gas costs, at least in the short-term." Atmos Energy serves approximately 1.7 million customers in Texas, including the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Atmos Energy's service territory is primarily north and central Texas, but extends south to the Katy area as well as Round Rock and Bandera. More than 1,600 employees provide natural gas services for Atmos Energy customers in Texas. "Atmos Energy was there for our customers in Louisiana and Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina  Editing of this page by unregistered or newly registered users is currently disabled due to vandalism. and we will be there for our
customers in Texas," added Fischer.
When customers return to their homes, if they smell gas they are urged to: --LEAVE the area IMMEDIATELY. --CALL ATMOS ENERGY from a safe distance at the emergency toll-free number: 800-817-8090 (for areas outside of Texas call 800-692-4694). --DO NOT turn any lights on or off, smoke or use a cell phone, or operate any vehicle or equipment that could cause sparks. --DO NOT attempt to turn natural gas valves on or off. Atmos Energy Marketing, the primary nonutility unit of the company, has also evacuated e·vac·u·ate v. e·vac·u·at·ed, e·vac·u·at·ing, e·vac·u·ates v.tr. 1. a. To empty or remove the contents of. b. To create a vacuum in. 2. employees from its Houston office. Operations continue to be managed by employees in other regions of the country. Atmos Energy Corporation, headquartered in Dallas, is the country's largest natural-gas-only distributor, serving about 3.2 million gas utility customers. Atmos Energy's utility operations serve more than 1,500 communities in 12 states from the Blue Ridge Mountains Blue Ridge also Blue Ridge Mountains A range of the Appalachian Mountains extending from southern Pennsylvania to northern Georgia. It rises to 2,038.6 m (6,684 ft) at Mount Mitchell in the Black Mountains of western North Carolina. in the East to the Rocky Mountains Rocky Mountains, major mountain system of W North America and easternmost belt of the North American cordillera, extending more than 3,000 mi (4,800 km) from central N.Mex. to NW Alaska; Mt. Elbert (14,431 ft/4,399 m) in Colorado is the highest peak. in the West. Atmos Energy's nonutility operations, organized under Atmos Energy Holdings, Inc., operate in 22 states. They provide natural gas marketing and procurement services to industrial, commercial and municipal customers and manage company-owned natural gas pipeline and storage assets, including one of the largest intrastate natural gas pipelines in Texas. For more information, visit www.atmosenergy.com. |
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