KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The response was mostly positive to the emergency two weeks ago when a ruptured tanker car sent a cloud of sulfuric acid over parts of Knox and Blount counties following a freight train derailment. Nevertheless, the entire experience merits a review by emergency crews and other agencies to make a good job better the next time, according to an editorial in the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Approximately 4,000 people were evacuated in the two counties on Sept. 15 when the railroad car carrying more than 10,000 gallons of sulfuric acid ruptured as 25 cars left the tracks in West Knox County. A toxic cloud threatened several nearby subdivisions, forcing many residents to stay in shelters and motels until Sept. 17.
The best news, of course, is there were no serious injures during and immediately following the accident, although some have complained of health problems, and a class-action lawsuit against Norfolk Southern Railway has been filed to recover economic losses.
Many evacuees, some of whom were at church services or dining out, were unable to retrieve medications, clothing or their pets. However, most made the best of a horrible and dangerous situation and rode out the inconvenience as best they could.
Emergency responders noted some pluses in relation to the incident, some human-created and some just the luck of timing:
— Since a number of residents in the neighborhoods affected by the toxic cloud were at church or otherwise away from their homes, the evacuation was not as complicated as it might have been.
Had the derailment occurred at night, evacuation could have posed a bigger obstacle. For one thing, a wider radius of homes would have been affected – 3.5 miles instead of 1.3 miles.
Winds are calmer at night, said Jerry Harnish, Rural/Metro district chief, so the toxic cloud would have lingered longer in the communities and spread wider near the derailment. As it was, winds carried the cloud across Fort Loudoun Lake and away from Farragut, and the sunlight helped break down the chemicals, Harnish said.
Additionally, the derailment occurred shortly before noon, giving emergency workers, railroad officials and others involved in the process several more hours of daylight.
— The Sept. 15 evacuation was the largest in Tennessee since a propane tanker exploded on a Memphis interstate 10 years ago, killing five people, according to the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.
— Helicopters belonging to the Knox County Sheriff’s Department, a hot topic during the recent campaign for sheriff, were especially helpful to emergency personnel, said Holt Clark, operations officer of the Knoxville-Knox County Emergency Management Agency. Having the helicopters helped track the drift of the toxic cloud, Clark said. “They provided a three-dimensional picture we wouldn’t have had.”
— Within hours of the derailment, representatives of 31 state, federal and local agencies were on the scene. Norfolk Southern dispatched specialized hazardous materials cleanup squads, and DuPont, which manufactured the sulfuric acid, sent a team of experts to the site.
— Years of inter-agency training started by the local emergency management agency through the Local Emergency Planning Committee paid off in the cooperation and efficient working of the various crews at the site, Clark said.
The committee meets every month, and its members include emergency personnel as well as industry safety representatives in Knoxville and Knox County.
One hitch that might be worked out without too much difficulty involves changing the Knox County Sheriff’s Department “Communicator” message appearing on caller identification equipment from “unknown caller” to “Knox County government” or something indicating an official business call. An ID of “unknown caller” is also the message indicated for telephone solicitors.
Harnish indicated that residents should be told to prepare to be away from home for at least 24 hours.
“That would allow people to take their medications and turn off the turkey in the oven,” he said. “If we’re wrong, we can apologize later.”
While a critique of the response and the performance of the emergency agencies in this incident should yield a number of positive strokes, emergency personnel should be looking less for comfort than solid improvement. Better communication with residents, more resources and greater efficiency are standard goals.
In this case, they should have a good experience to build on.