To evacuate or not to evacuate

that was the question today.

Late last night a huge chemical fire erupted in a plant 1.5 miles from where we live and threw up a big gas plume, resulting in a midnight evacuation of all residents within a 1 mile radius - about 17,000 people - with the potential for more evacuations depending on how the winds spread the gas cloud around....

Waking up to that news didn't quite make for a regular day. .. all area schools were closed, roads blocked and non-evacuated neighborhoods were asked to stay indoors with windows and doors shut and air-conditioning turned off, and to wait for more news.

Fortunately the winds stayed stable and a rain system helped contain the fire and chemicals (though it did spread to a surrounding plant causing several petroleum silos to explode - also not a fun thing to hear closeby)...and although the fire is not yet extinguished, it doesn't look like there's any threat of evaucation anymore and that the risk for chemical exposure has subsided.

It does cause one to ponder when something like that happens. On the one hand, it shows how vulnerable and uninformed we are. I (and most of the Apex residents) had no idea there was a chemical plant closeby, and - this is the interesting bit - that the plant had been penalized already back in March for not properly storing its chemicals creating a potential hazard. It also did not have a good inventory of on-site chemicals, causing a delay for the hazmat teams to combat the chemical fire.
On the other hand, I was impressed by how fast and efficient the authorities responded to the situation. In less than an hour, they had assessed the situation, initiated a reverse-911 call (where neighborhoods and cells phones in the area are automatically called with the news) , started evacuating the surrounding neighborhoods, set up shelters, got the hamat teams on-site and had the large scale medical responder unit mobilized. I've no doubt that it's due to this quick response that there have been so few casualties. Only a dozen firemen and police and some of the lcoals -the first on the scene without protective gear -had to be taken to the hospital due to chemical exposure.

It also shows that it doesn't take a lot for a catastrophe. A few chemical vats left unattended, or a couple of careless plant employees cutting a few safety steps...they don't know yet what exactly started the fire, and maybe they never will, but there are many of these types of plants and factories around, in many dense neighborhoods...not a very reassuring thought.

One unexpected positive part of the day were the calls from friends and colleagues.
We got many calls this morning as people became aware of the news and knew we lived in Apex. All were worried about us and volunteered their homes in case we were evacuated. A big thank you to all of you. It does feel good to know that people care and that -whatever happens -friendship exceeds all else. And on that corny note I will close. Till later- hopefully without catastrophic fires next time.