Some Sienna neighbors believe a gas leak should serve as a wake-up call for change after they felt like sitting ducks.
RELATED: Gas leak in Fort Bend Co. contained after prompting street closures near Sienna Parkway: officials
When several Sienna road closures took place following a gas line leak, it set off a panic for Bridget Kress.
“There were ambulances on Friday, weaving in and out of traffic on the wrong side of the street trying to get out of the neighborhood,” Kress recalled.
Kress lives in Sienna. A master-planned community adding a lot of homes, but Kress said there are not a lot of roads in and out.
“If it had happened one mile south, we would’ve been sitting ducks,” Kress explained.
Here’s why: There are two major roads leading Sienna neighbors in and out.
There’s Sienna Parkway and FM 521. On Friday, part of Sienna Parkway was closed after city leaders said a utility contractor hit a six-inch gas pipe.
“If any true emergency happened, or a hurricane or any catastrophic event happened, we wouldn’t be able to get out,” Kress said.
This concern from residents has reached city hall, and city leaders called a special meeting for Monday because of the incident.
“I have heard you,” Missouri City Mayor Robin Elackatt said. “This gas leak further highlights the issue with public safety along Sienna Parkway.”
In a video released after the gas leak, Elackatt said they’re demanding the Sienna developer, HOA, and county address this. He didn’t explain how.
Sienna is in Councilmember Joanna Ouderkirk’s district. In a social media post on her page, she said they would’ve fixed this by now, but it would cost hundreds of millions of dollars.
After requesting to speak with Ouderkirk, she referred ABC13 to the city staff, but no one from the city’s communications department responded.
This is a plan, some neighbors said, that needs to be more than words after Friday’s closures.
“I really urge you to think about the safety and the emergency protocols because what happened on Friday was a huge wake-up call for all of us,” Kress said.
Monday’s meeting is about addressing right-of-way permits for utility companies following last week’s gas leak. While the mayor said he’s heard from neighbors and believes something needs to change, there’s still no word on when a meeting addressing Sienna’s roadway options will take place.
