Saltillo bakery and other small businesses losing money during natural gas outage
Some businesses in Tupelo and Lee County are struggling to survive without natural gas.
TUPELO, Miss. (WTVA) — Some businesses in Tupelo and Lee County are struggling to survive without natural gas.
The outage began on March 12 following a workplace accident in Plantersville.
This cut off natural gas service to not only thousands of homes but also businesses big and small.
It’s been especially rough for small businesses like Blue Magnolia Bread Company in Saltillo.
Charles Scott opened the bakery six months ago.
He said business had been great until the outage began last week. Without natural gas, they cannot bake and cannot serve their customers.
It remained closed until Tuesday, March 18 when natural gas service was finally restored.
Scott compared the wait to being in Limbo.
“We can get a heater at home. We can throw some extra blankets on the bed. We can boil water at home. In a business when it comes to this, you cannot provide for your customers which affects your personal income.”
He said the business lost nearly $20,000 in profits. It’s a large sum of money the company may not get back.
Atmos Energy does have a page on its website where people can file claims for property loss, business interruption and personal injury. Open this link to view more information.
However, the company has indicated it’s not responsible for the outage, claiming a third-party contractor caused the blowout which resulted in the outage.
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