(The following story by Bud Chambers appeared on the Brenham Banner-Press website on November 1.)
GAY HILL, Texas — A 22-car Burlington Northern-Santa Fe train derailment near the 5000 block of Old Gay Hill Road about 6:45 a.m. Saturday led to 17 area families being evacuated for about nine hours.
The evacuation were a precaution and involved residents within a mile downwind of a rail car leaking a portion of its 28,000-gallon octylaldehyde cargo.
Washington County Sheriff’s Office said today no injuries or illnesses were known to result from the spill of the chemical, which is used in disinfectant and insecticide production.
Octylaldehyde is also an intermediate agent in the making of organic compounds (perfumes, paints, leak detection agents).
Seventeen families were evacuated quickly with this rapid response credited to the Gay Hill Volunteer Fire Department’s good organization.
Displaced families went to either the St. John’s Lutheran Church or Gay Hill fire station and given an “all clear” to return home around 5:30 p.m. when officials declared no further danger.
Gay Hill VFD first assistant chief Curtis Rodenbeck said 18 volunteers played a part in his group’s efforts – many assisting in getting the families to a safe location.
St. John’s Lutheran Church or the Gay Hill fire station were the choices for these families, and the Gay Hill VFD auxiliary volunteers provided such basic necessities as food and refreshments for about nine hours.
Old Gay Hill Road intersections from Pledger Road in the Oak Hill Acres vicinity to Kelm Road well to the north were sealed off to traffic.
A hazardous materials (HAZMAT) team from Houston was called to the scene. They worked through necessary procedures to pronounce it was safe for 17 dislocated families families to return less than nine hours after evacuation.
County emergency management coordinator Ricky Boeker today had particularly high praise for the rapid and professional response of both the county sheriff’s office and the Gay Hill VFD.
“The proper response in the first hour (in such an emergency) is most critical,” Boeker said, “and the response to this derailment was excellent.”
County Judge Dorothy Morgan echoed Boeker’s praise, saying “All the organizations involved seemed to know their role and did it well.”
GHVFD chief Donald Schroeder and Rodenbeck gained special praise for getting their volunteers to evacuate families believed in possible danger and to block all roads that might let traffic into the derailment area.
Morgan said, in addition to the local agencies response, that she was impressed by how quickly the railroad responded, and the vast amount of equipment they brought in – even acquiring a landowner’s permission to construct a road to the derailment site in amazingly short order.
“Once the railroad people, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (and such) were on the scene, they took charge – but I felt all our professionals and volunteers did their jobs very well,” she said.
This was also the first time members of a new Community Emergency Response Team, volunteers training through a Homeland Security grant, were called out. These people provide refreshments to workers as well as assisting in any other ways requested by the officials in charge.