This Newton Man Knew How To Help After The Merrimack Explosions

NEWTON, MA — Nathan Philips' phone was ringing off the hook Wednesday, as residents returning to their homes after last week's Merrimack Valley gas explosions turned to him for help.

Philips was part of a group that raised money to replace gas stoves with electric appliances. Now he's asking the governor and the mayor of Lawrence for help with the project, so those affected by the disaster, which sparked fires in scores of homes in Lawrence, Andover and North Andover, get a little closer to normal life.

"The solution is here today, and it can be expedited by the governor," said Philips, an environmental science professor at Boston University. "Having people wait in line to get a check is a good start, but people need the physical tools to cook. We think thousands can benefit from this."

Thousands of residents were evacuated after the explosions last Thursday. Most were allowed back into their homes on Sunday, but while many had electric power, they might not see their gas service restored for weeks. Officials say an over-pressurized pipeline caused the explosions and fires.

Enter The Gas Leak Allies, a group including Mothers Out Front to HEET along with other environmental groups and scientists such as Philips and Boston resident John Lerner. One of their long-term projects is to introduce induction stoves as a safer, more environmentally friendly alternative to gas cooking, but the gas disaster gave urgency to their work.

"Right now there are children who can't take a warm bath tonight, who are eating cold food at home," Philips said. "We want them to have a return to a semblance of normalcy."

Lerner had the idea of having firefighters alert the public to induction cooktops as a safer alternative to bringing in gas camping stoves or worse, barbecues to cook.

"Not only is this a better technology than anything that has come before it, it's a heck of a lot safer. There's zero emissions and you can put your hand on the plate and not get burned and you can put a piece of paper between the top and a plate and it won't catch on fire," said Lerner.

Then the idea morphed into passing out the induction cooktops, which use plug outlets, to heat food and water much faster than the average stove.

"It's like a hot plate on steroids," Philips said. "It's efficient, fast, clean, inherently safer than any other way to cook. It will heat a kettle of water faster than any gas or other electric stove can do it, because the pan is the cooker. It's not a surface that heats up; it actually generates heat in the pan."

During a phone interview Wednesday, Philips was constantly interrupted by the beeps of people calling or texting to ask to be put on the list of those in need of a stove.

An IKEA single-burner TILLREDA runs about $49 and can plug into a regular outlet. To raise the money needed, Philips created a GoFundMe page and as of Wednesday morning, some 96 people had donated more than $7,000 to pay for the units and the shipping.

On Sunday, Lerner and Philips dropped off five stoves they bought from IKEA — the last ones on the shelves — at the senior center in Lawrence.

"They were thrilled. Apparently someone just left who could have used one which is kind of sad," said Lerner.

Philips and the group have ordered about 160 induction stoves from Amazon and IKEA, and have a list of names of people who need them. But there's a bottleneck as all the stoves from the stores like IKEA are sold out and they wait for stoves to be shipped in a few days. Philips is convinced that the mayor and the governor could help.

"If they could just reach out to the corporate entities that make these portable units, like GE, they might be able to overnight them so that they can be in people's hands. We have the people, we have the addresses, we know who need these, we just don't have the units. That's what we're waiting on."

Patch reached out to the governor's office and the Lawrence mayor but neither responded to request for comment.

Still, Philips is convinced getting the electric induction cooktops into the the hands of those most affected in Lawrence, Andover and North Andover is a game changer.

"I've been working on this issue as a scientist for the last eight years and science is one thing and even policy is hugely fulfilling link when you feel the work you do has an impact on policy. [But] to feel like you're doing something that actually can help a person or a family that just blows me away," said Philips.

How to help? How to get one of the cooktops?

Members of the group Mother's Out Front are scouring thrift stores in the greater Boston area for cookware that is compatible with the induction cooktops, which work only with pots that have iron in them or are magnetic. The plan is to donate those along with the units.

Philips says the best way to get involved is to check out the GoFundMe campaign where the group raised more than $7,000 in two days and write them a message.

Also read these:

After Gas Explosions, 'It's A Ghost Town'

For Evacuees, Few Answers On What's Next After Gas

Mass. Governor Declares State of Emergency In Gas Explosions

Governor Promises Support To Merrimack Valley Businesses

More Coverage On Patch:

• How To Help
• Lawrence General Hospital Prepped For Worst After Gas Explosions
• Columbia Gas Was Slow To Respond To 2012 Explosion In WV
• Merrimack Valley Explosions: 'It's A Ghost Town'
• 'War Zone:' Evacuations, Gas Explosions In Merrimack Valley

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Photo of Lerner and Philips dropping off a cooktop at the Lawrence Senior Center courtesy GoFundMe