Chemical Leak from Train Wreck in South Carolina

AP - The State ^ | January 6, 2005

[Peach]

There will be a curfew in Graniteville tonight - from dusk to dawn. A state of emergency in our county.

[Diddle E. Squat]

I had an opportunity to work for CSX, but after checking them out decided that there was no way I'd ever work there. Horrible safety record and deferred maintenance, and it seemed to be a conscious choice from up top. Only got worse while John Snow ran the company, can't believe Bush appointed him to anything.

In contrast NS was just the opposite when it came to their track, and even improved our track at Conrail, which was already pretty darn good on the mains I worked (though in labor relations and operations we were expecting revenge for Sherman's to march to the sea when the NS boys came up to take over!)

[AnAmericanMother]

Great! </sarcasm> Their Atlanta-Chattanooga main line runs right behind our house!

[Peach]

Over 90 gallons of chlorine are leaking from the train. The entire county of Aiken is under a state of emergency. This is the largest county in South Carolina.

The Governor will be visiting the area some time today.

[prairiebreeze]

bump

[Peach]

And that should have said 90 tons of chlorine, not gallons.

[all4one]

Karl Stiefel, center, helps his family, from left son, Alex, Christopher and wife Lisa holds daughter Karlee after going through the decontamination process at USC Aiken Thursday, Jan. 6, 2005, in Aiken, S.C. The Stiefel family was evacuated from Graniteville, S.C. after being exposed to chlorine gas from a train derailment. A Norfolk Southern freight train carrying chlorine gas struck a parked train early Thursday, killing one person and injuring at least 70, authorities said. Decontamination sites were treating people exposed to fumes. (AP Photo/Mary Ann Chastain)

[Diddle E. Squat]

Wow, ya'll must be heavy sleepers! One of the most amazing things to me was seeing how many houses were right up against the railroad tracks, especially those near the road crossings where the trains blow their horns.

[Peach]

Thanks for those pictures. I heard the reporter say they had pictures going out to the newspaper via e-mail.

[Peach]

Are you in SC?

I'm in Aiken.

[Peach]

Chlorine turns to gas when it gets into the open air.

90 tons of chlorine are leaking right now.

Responders going door to door in Graniteville looking for victims.

Air quality tests being done in county.

[all4one]

No....I am way up north in Delaware! But there are a great deal of train tracks in this general area of Delaware, New Jersey, Maryland and Pennsylvania. So these accidents tend to pique my interest. I also think that there is not enough being done to secure our rail systems.

[AnAmericanMother]

What's even funnier is that there is a grade crossing a block and a half from our house, and the southbound traffic pulls for the blowpost right outside our bedroom window . . . and we don't even wake up for that.

You get acclimated pretty quickly. The first two weeks in this house every train woke us up. Now if there's NOT a train some time during the night, I wake up because I miss it.

The dog doesn't even lift her head, unless she's outside in the yard, then she howls along with the horn . . . she didn't know how to howl at first, the other dogs in the neighborhood taught her . . .

[engrpat]

I remember several accidents like this, in dark territory, where maintenance of way would work on a switch and leave it lined for the siding. The engineer has no clue until it is too late. Could well be employee error. Regardless of cause something like this is hard on the whole railroad family.

[AnAmericanMother]

Are you posting in your SCUBA mask?

[Peach]

There is a no fly zone five miles around the crash site. They don't know what it will take to clear up the site and expect more fatalities as they conduct house to house searches.

[Peach]

I've been lying down with a cold compress over my eyes. I don't think I can tell you if I had a scuba mask on...I'd never live it down :-)

A five mile no fly zone has been established and house to house searches are going on looking for victims and making sure that people stay inside if they are able to do so.

[Peach]

Is that Lloyd Bridges in that pic?

[AnAmericanMother]

Sure is!

First TV show I remember watching! (we didn't have a TV when I was little, and viewing opportunities were few and far between.) Probably that show is what inspired me to get my Open Water cert . . .

[Peach]

He was a good looking young man.

Amazing what motivates us :-)

Portions of Graniteville are getting better with air quality and now emergency workers are able to go into homes and get people out of there. Other portions still not safe even for the workers to go into.

Watching the wind and checking air quality in Aiken and way out into the Highway 20 area where they can smell the chlorine.