PORT ARTHUR, Texas. — June 6, 2006 —Texas Gas Service employee Danny D. White was one of fifteen individuals recognized by the American Gas Association (AGA) as a "Hero of the 2005 Hurricanes." The national organization paid tribute to individuals who demonstrated marked self-sacrifice for the good of the majority, going beyond standard job responsibilities and serving as model ambassadors for the natural gas industry throughout the duration of the 2005 hurricanes and the aftermath.
White, a resident of Port Arthur, was specifically recognized for leading maintenance tasks including a leak survey and meter turn-off team after Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. White also fed and housed several Texas Gas Service employees and led a team that fixed over 400 leaks following Hurricane Rita in his home base of Port Arthur.
"Through the tragedy and devastation of the 2005 hurricane season, there were countless acts of selflessness and human kindness," said Dave Parker, AGA's president and CEO. "AGA is proud to honor these courageous and dedicated professionals who went above and beyond the call of duty, working tirelessly to come to the aid of not only natural gas customers and infrastructure, but all and any of those in need."
Immediately after Hurricane Katrina, White was one of the first to answer the call for natural gas experts to help shut off gas meters and detect leaks or blowing gas lines in New Orleans. White spent nearly three weeks in the flood-ravaged city. "We were working all day with no phones or radio and had no idea what was going on with Rita," says White.
White was immediately alerted by Texas Gas Service that Rita was heading toward the Texas Coast. and he headed back to Port Arthur to prepare for the approaching hurricane. As residents evacuated the Port Arthur area, White stayed behind with other key Texas Gas Service personnel to ride out the storm in the Hardin County Jail, 30 miles inland.
"It was a bit unnerving," White says. "There was no time to do anything but pack up the last of our valuables and kiss our families goodbye."
Once the storm passed, the team assessed the damage and went to work. Because White's home was nearby and undamaged, he opened it -- as well as his freezer full of food -- to fellow employees. Without electricity, they grilled their meals outside. Soon after, White began a program where members of his team visited each other's homes to help cleanup debris and downed trees creating an even closer bond among them all.
Texas Gas Service operations were back to normal four weeks after the hurricane due to White's leadership in the community and among his peers. Texas Gas Service serves 33,500 customers in the Port Arthur area.
White received the "Heroes of the 2005 Hurricanes" award in a special ceremony held in Boston, Mass., as part of the AGA's annual conference in May. Texas Gas Service is committed to excellence in customer service and was recently awarded "Highest in Business Customer Satisfaction with Natural Gas Service in the Southern U.S." in the J.D. Power and Associates 2006 Gas Utility Business Customer Satisfaction StudySM. The study is based on more than 6,104 Web-based interviews with U.S. business gas customers. Responses were compiled between November of 2005 and January of 2006. In the Southern U.S., six utilities were ranked in the study.
Texas Gas Service provides natural gas service to approximately 565,000 customers in the state of Texas, including customers in Austin, El Paso, the Gulf Coast and the Rio Grande Valley. Texas Gas Service is a division of ONEOK, Inc. (NYSE: OKE), a diversified energy company. ONEOK is the general partner and owns 45.7 percent of ONEOK Partners, L.P. (NYSE: OKS), one of the largest publicly traded limited partnerships, which is a leader in the gathering, processing, storage and transportation of natural gas in the U.S. and owns one of the nation's premier natural gas liquids (NGL) systems, connecting much of the natural gas and NGL supply in the mid-continent with key market centers. ONEOK is among the largest natural gas distributors in the United States, serving more than 2 million customers in Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas. Its energy services operation focuses primarily on marketing natural gas and related services throughout the U.S. ONEOK is a Fortune 500 company.
For more information, visit the Web sites at www.texasgasservice.com or www.oneok.com.
The American Gas Association, founded in 1918, represents 197 local energy utility companies that deliver natural gas to more than 56 million homes, businesses and industries throughout the United States. AGA's members account for roughly 83 percent of all natural gas delivered by the nation's local natural gas distribution companies. AGA is an advocate for local natural gas utility companies and provides a broad range of programs and services for member natural gas pipelines, marketers, gatherers, international gas companies and industry associates. Natural gas meets nearly one-fourth of the United States' energy needs. For more information, please visit www.aga.org.