Woodbury nursing home evacuated after gas main leak

A broken gas main led to the evacuation of a Woodbury nursing home for two hours Thursday and has left 36 customers without gas, officials said.

A car ran into a telephone pole near the Woodbury Center for Health Care on Jericho Turnpike, at about 6:45 a.m., police said. Verizon crews hit a gas main while fixing the pole at around 11 a.m., causing a leak, a National Grid spokesman said. National Grid closed the leak at 12:46.

Nursing home staff evacuated about 120 residents in 15 minutes, said Frederick White, Woodbury Center's administrator. They carried out water and medications for the residents, and set up umbrellas for shade in the midday heat, he said. No residents were hurt, White said.

Police closed Jericho Turnpike to incoming traffic near the accident until 1:30 p.m. National Grid crews remained at the scene Thursday afternoon to restore power to nearby customers, which include the Woodbury Country Club, officials said.