California governor declares state of emergency over looming chemical disaster
The Guardian • • general
Key Points:
- California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in Orange County due to the threat of a chemical disaster involving a storage tank of methyl methacrylate at a GKN Aerospace facility in Garden Grove.
- Approximately 40,000 residents have been ordered to evacuate, and state resources, including emergency services and state-owned properties for shelter, are being mobilized to support local responders.
- The storage tank, containing 6,000-7,000 gallons of a highly flammable chemical, is at risk of exploding or leaking, with firefighters' efforts to cool it down currently failing as the tank's temperature continues to rise.
- Emergency teams are attempting to neutralize nearby tanks, prepare containment measures for potential spills, and explore innovative strategies to prevent the disaster, emphasizing that allowing the tank to fail is unacceptable.