FORT PIERCE, Fla. -- Residents of downtown Fort Pierce have been without natural gas since Saturday evening, according to Fort Pierce Utilities Authority.
Officials with the Fort Pierce Utilities Authority (FPUA) say the outage is due to low pressure throughout the gas system.
Some restaurants in the area closed their doors for the evening, while others offered a limited menu.
At Cobb's Landing, the limited menu was mostly sandwiches, salads and tacos.
"We lost a couple of big parties," said Donna Burke, the manager. "People kind of left because they couldn't have a steak or couldn't have a burger."
The outage forced Burke to turn off the stoves and grills.
"It's a huge economic impact," said Burke, who says profits took about a 50 percent hit. "Not just for us. I talked to several businesses and it's definitely huge."
As many as 20 Fort Pierce restaurants are without natural gas.
Some customers made the best of the situation.
"We came in mind to have some fish and shrimp," said Arlene Moore, a customer at Cobb's. "We ended up getting tacos and it was still delicious."
Low pressure could cause the pilot light to blow out, allowing gas to build up and create a dangerous situation.
They urge anyone who smells natural gas to leave the area immediately and call FPUA at 772-466-1600 to report the problem.
