Tank Farm where collapse happened on this corner |
The fall out from the incident was not pretty seems the tank was built in the 30's and was moved there in late 70's re erected and never properly inspected. The Allegheny County Fire Marshall's office was responsible for this and apparently was caught flat footed by the incident .
This lead to a bunch of resignations and retirements and ultimately criminal and civil litigation over the
damage.The facility was later sold to a new company.
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=266&dat=19880917&id=2dkrAAAAIBAJ&sjid=UWQFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1583,1469551
Allegheny Valley REACT the Emergency Communications team I belonged to at the time helped deliver water to invalids and shut in during this crisis along the Allegheny River this time.
One thing learned for sure was water company's shut off there intakes immediately to prevent the oil from getting into the treatment plants. Allegheny County is much better prepared for chemical emergency's and Private clean up contractors like Weaver Town and McCutcheon have professionally trained staff available 24/7 and many of the facility's also have trained staff in plants ready to go to work to prevent spills.
Unlike in the 80's when clean up company's like AMO Pollution Control a Maryland based company who where located in Cecil Twp. did this kind of clean up work and where forced out of business after polluting the Meadows Land area of Washington County at there storage facility.
almost the same scenario an aging tank extreme cold weather and instead of emergency responders going out and checking complaints from residents about and unusual smell nothing was done then when the leak was discovered water company left treatment plant open and tried to use activated carbon to eliminate it out of water instead of shutting off its intakes and spread the stuff thru a water system supplying 300,000
Yes you better believe there is going to be a lot of heads rolling because it has been over 20 years those tanks where never checked etc etc etc. So now W.Va. has had to learn a hard lesson and it will be another community some where else because of complacency where a spill will happen and there unprepared.
But that's just seems to be the normal run duck and cover your ass when shit hits the fan never be proactive and stop problems when they can be easily remedied in the first place. So will your community be next?
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