City officials and Atmos Energy representatives held a meeting with community members Tuesday night, but it did little to soothe rattled nerves over a natural gas crisis.
A northwest Dallas neighborhood is overrun with work crews, replacing some 2.5 miles of pipe in an area surrounding the site of a house explosion that killed a 12-year-old girl.
Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings spoke publicly for the first time about the situation. "There is an infrastructure need [in Dallas] like there is across America," the mayor said.
Rawlings said the investigation into the cause is now entirely in the hands of the NTSB, but NTSB officials did not attend the meeting.
"I asked for a representative with NTSB to be here tonight, and they chose not to," Rawlings said.
"We want answers too. We want to provide those to you," said Atmos representative Jennifer Altieri. "We just can't right now. Those will come out."
At the meeting, they also paused for a moment of silence to honor Linda Rogers, the little girl who lost her life in the house explosion. Attorney John Barr, who is representing Rogers' family, attended the meeting too.
"They're horrible," he said when asked how his clients are coping. "They're just waiting on God to deliver them."
Atmos has said they are replacing the gas lines out of an abundance of caution. More than two-thirds of the 2.5 miles of new lines are already in the ground, and the company said they are working to restore gas service where they can.
Atmos also expanded its evacuation, adding three new streets and bringing the total number of evacuated people to about 300. They are being put up in area hotels. Many of those who are in their homes are still without gas for heat, hot water or cooking.
At the meeting, residents and activists pushed city officials for answers and firm commitments. Resident Waymond Young said it all amounted to a waste of time.
"What we got was the mayor telling us he didn't know anything," Young said. "And at this point, the feds have stepped in and they've put a lid on everything."