At a little bit before 12:30 p.m yesterday, a private construction crew was trying to repair sewer lines. In the process, they severed a two-inch underground gas pipe with a backhoe, says a PG&E worker.
The four-block area that was cordoned off, causing at least 100 people were forced to leave the area, including neighborhood residents, dozens of business owners and their customers. Carlann Lauria, manager of Crocker's Lockers, says, "Ask my customers. They were pretty irate." The employees kept busy by going outside the police perimeter to collect payment checks from their customers.
Another business manager, Samantha Feldman of Wa-Ha-Ka restaurant, say her employees and patrons were forced to leave. The restaurant's at the corner where the construction crew had been working. Feldman said that the restaurant lost about $500 worth of business in the shutdown.
The gas was turned back on at 5:09 p.m that night.
Today ... or yesterday? Pick one.
ReplyDeleteYour lead is close, but you could get more bang for your buck by rejiggering it a bit.
A ruptured gas line shut down a four-block area South of Market area a little before 12:30 p.m. yesterday.
Then you can start your second graph with how and why this happened, instead of when.
Don't repeat information; tighten it up:
At least 100 people were forced to leave the area, including neighborhood residents, dozens of business owners and their customers.
Proofread!
* "causing at least 100 people were forced to leave the area" - again, pick one
* use "said" not "say" -- past tense
* The restaurants (not "restaurant's")
The first two sentences in your last paragraph should be one.
15/20