Porter Ranch >> The gated Renaissance community was reminiscent of a ghost town this bright Christmas Day.
No children were playing or riding their new bikes outside. The usual sounds of dogs barking and birds chirping were eerily absent. Few cars were in motion on these well-paved streets.
Since a Southern California Gas Co. well started leaking above Porter Ranch a little over two months ago, more than 2,200 households have been forced to flee their homes to avoid any ill-effects from the escaping natural gas. But many others who say they’ve tried to relocate through the gas company — without success — found themselves holed up inside their homes on one of the most festive days of the year.
“We would normally have big family parties of 30 to 50 people on Christmas Eve” and thus many more presents, said Nena Balen, who lives with her husband, David, and their daughter, Ariana, 8, in their elegant home less than a mile from the leaking well.
“This year, we had nothing because we didn’t know where we were going to be — here or in a relocation home. … I think it’s very sad. We feel like this year we’ve had no Christmas.”
Ariana was worried Santa wasn’t going to visit their home this year because of the gas leak at SoCal Gas’ Aliso Canyon storage facility or that the bearded icon wouldn’t find her friends who had already relocated, her mother said. And it’s clear who the third-grader at Porter Ranch Community school and her parents blame.
“SoCal Gas ruined Christmas like the Grinch,” Ariana said while clinging to a red-bowed present she was about to unwrap.
Since the well started leaking — releasing some 1,200 tons of methane gas each day — David and his wife have endured headaches, Ariana has suffered nosebleeds up to three times a week and their perky dog has vomited about a dozen times, Nena Balen said.
The mother no longer walks their white maltipoo, Dolce, because of health concerns, and Ariana no longer plays outside with her friends, she said. The family now has air scrubbers and charcoal filters to help purify the air inside their home.
As the gas leak surpassed its sixth week, Los Angeles County health officials said prolonged exposure to trace chemicals, some of which are known carcinogens, can cause long-term health effects. But they’ve also cautioned that levels examined so far here are not believed to be associated with long-term health problems.
SoCal Gas tried for the seventh time this week but failed to halt the flow of natural gas at the broken well while efforts to drill a relief well and relocate families continued Friday, said SoCal Gas spokeswoman Anne Silva. Gas company officials have said the well could take several more months to repair.
The Balens say they have been in contact with SoCal Gas about their desire to relocate since early December. The relocation firms contracted by the gas company have done “zero” to help the family find a home so far, Nena Balen said. The burden has been left to the family to contact real estate and leasing agents to find a short-term lease opportunity, which is all the gas company is willing to commit to, she said.
On Wednesday, SoCal Gas agreed to a demand from the Los Angeles city attorney’s office to speed up the relocation process. The agreement, signed by a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge, stipulates the company has 24 to 72 hours to complete the process. It also requires the company to relocate pets to an area not affected by the leak.
While 2,216 households had been placed in temporary housing, more than 2,630 others were still in process as of Friday, Silva said. The company has retained more than a dozen agencies to help manage temporary relocations, she said.
“Our aim is to offer temporary accommodations to those affected by the odor as soon as possible, and we are trying to provide enough flexibility so that no resident should have to wait long to move away from the odor,” Silva said in an email.
“For example, we offer to place residents at hotels as we work with them to explore more suitable temporary accommodations, as necessary.”
But some argue that hotel living isn’t suitable for everyone. David Balen said his family tried to find a nearby hotel but couldn’t find any with vacancies and really doesn’t want to stay in one anyway.
“All we want is to have normality back in our lives. Nothing more,” said David Balen, who is on the Porter Ranch Neighborhood Council and works in the title insurance industry.
Silva said affected residents can make their own temporary accommodations within certain parameters if they want to get reimbursed, but she could not immediately say what those parameters were late Friday.
Several doors down from the Balens, Lana Allen, 31, and her family were holed up inside their house hoping they could relocate soon. Allen, whose youngest son has suffered nosebleeds, said she also has been trying to relocate to a home since Dec. 1 without success.
Hotel living does not make sense for her family, Allen said, partly since she has two active boys — a 1-year-old and a 7-year-old — and she needs access to a kitchen for her youngest’s meals.
“We love our community but it’s dangerous” here, she said. “I’m so stressed out with the gas company and how slow this process has been.”
