Preston Hollow residents press San Antonio leaders for clearer messaging and detector distribution after explosions

Residents from Preston Hollow told the council June 22 they remain anxious and want clearer, faster information and stronger safety measures after the April 21 gas explosions.

Tony Flores, who identified himself as speaking for a Preston Hollow neighborhood association, described the incident as "un evento extraordinario y catastrf3fico," said two homes were destroyed and called for extraordinary information, attention and a clear plan to restore trust. "Los vecinos continuan viviendo sin respuesta y tienen una inseguridad de estar en sus propios hogares," Flores said, asking how the city could better document reports of gas odors, verify follow-up and accelerate remediation for damaged properties.

Other public commenters, including Kevin Johnson and Sandy Villarreal, similarly pressed for speedier action and transparency, asking what the city could do to accelerate repairs and whether property owners adjacent to the blast could quickly obtain information on next steps. Council members acknowledged the residentsrequests and urged staff and CPS to expand outreach. Staff said they had established a resource webpage, ran community meetings, collected about 175 contact records for follow-up and distributed a limited inventory of roughly 101 residential detectors.

Council discussion also touched on whether the city could provide neighborhood maps showing gas mains and services. CPS staff said such maps would not be broadly released for security reasons but that targeted information could be provided to property owners on request and that letters can be sent to neighbors with relevant details. A council member noted two damaged homes may be under judicial order that affects demolition.

Ending: Residents urged sustained follow-up; staff said they would continue to coordinate directly with affected households and explore how to formalize stronger, neighborhood-level communications and training.