Deleted
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May 5, 2024 2:37:03 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Mar 21, 2019 12:35:37 GMT
We're back under a shelter in place order. Benzene detected at ITC facility, more fire reported, whole town under shelter in place. Oh no! I'm so sorry tracyarts. Keep safe.
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Deleted
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May 5, 2024 2:37:03 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Mar 21, 2019 12:42:57 GMT
The things we do to the earth are really disgusting.
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Post by tracyarts on Mar 21, 2019 13:44:41 GMT
I'm going back to sleep. The local tin foil hat brigade is having a field day this morning.
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Mar 21, 2019 14:17:24 GMT
We're back under a shelter in place order. Benzene detected at ITC facility, more fire reported, whole town under shelter in place. I saw last night that Shell had a shelter-in-place in effect at parts of their facility because of the benzene levels. From the article: Shell's statement said the company uses standards more stringent than OSHA in terms of "permissible exposure limits." "In this case, the chemical readings we are seeing are at or below the OSHA permissible exposure limits but above Shell HSSE standards requiring a shelter in place," the statement said.Something tells me that OSHA needs to revisit their permissible exposure limits.
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likescarrots
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,879
Aug 16, 2014 17:52:53 GMT
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Post by likescarrots on Mar 21, 2019 17:22:10 GMT
I've seen a few people mention not running the ac and I'm curious about it. If you have Central air the AC should be recirculating air from inside the house and filtering that air. When my allergies are acting up we sometimes run the fan even if we don't need the temperature change, and it helps greatly, so I'm surprised that this is being recommended.
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Post by KikiPea on Mar 21, 2019 17:35:11 GMT
So awful. Praying for all of my fellow Texans!
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Post by tracyarts on Mar 21, 2019 20:56:27 GMT
From what I've been told, when your central air system comes on, it creates a slight negative air pressure zone inside the house, and can pull outside air in through poorly sealed doors, windows, vents, etc... We live in an older house that has had some foundation settling, so it's not well sealed any longer. Keeping the ac/heat off won't prevent tiny amounts of outside air from seeping in, but does help minimize it. I've seen a few people mention not running the ac and I'm curious about it. If you have Central air the AC should be recirculating air from inside the house and filtering that air. When my allergies are acting up we sometimes run the fan even if we don't need the temperature change, and it helps greatly, so I'm surprised that this is being recommended.
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Post by peano on Mar 21, 2019 21:07:33 GMT
What a nightmare! Thinking about y’all and hoping for a resolution soon.
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Post by tracyarts on Mar 21, 2019 23:06:58 GMT
A problem has been people going on social media and spreading misinformation and causing people to panic and make unsafe decisions. Not a huge problem, but it's happened.
Fact: There were some national guard personnel brought in to help with air quality monitoring.
Fact: During the shelter in place period, local authorities barricaded roads leading into the shelter zone and people were not allowed to come in. We were supposed to be sheltering in place or avoiding the area.
Rumor: The government was trapping residents inside a contaminated "sacrifice zone" and not allowing them to flee the chemical cloud. And the national guard was brought in to stop residents attempting to evacuate. The shelter in place order was a lie to keep residents from attempting to flee and potentially spreading toxins outside of the contaminated areas.
Rumor: Birds were dropping out of the sky, livestock dropping dead in the fields, pet fish and birds dying inside houses.
Unsafe decision: People frantically driving around the perimeter of the city, trying to get in past barricades to "rescue" people inside the shelter in place zone, and exposing themselves to the chemicals in the air while doing so.
Unsafe decision: People freaking out, disregarding the shelter in place order, and loading up kids, pets, and possessions into cars to evacuate, and exposing themselves to chemicals in the air while doing so.
Fact: People were allowed to evacuate if they wished, but they were strongly discouraged from doing so because if you had been sheltering in place, the air was cleaner inside than out.
Rumor: Lots of people on social media urging residents to disregard the shelter in place order and evacuate immediately although no evacuations were called because "we can't trust the authorities".
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Post by yivit on Mar 22, 2019 18:49:38 GMT
and here we go again - from fox26: HAPPENING NOW: ITC advises industrial neighbors and the Texas Battleship Monument State Park consider taking shelter in place precautions after a portion of the tank farm containment wall containing the product has partially collapsed. No shelter in place for the city limits.
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Post by yivit on Mar 22, 2019 18:51:12 GMT
We're back under a shelter in place order. Benzene detected at ITC facility, more fire reported, whole town under shelter in place. I saw last night that Shell had a shelter-in-place in effect at parts of their facility because of the benzene levels. From the article: Shell's statement said the company uses standards more stringent than OSHA in terms of "permissible exposure limits." "In this case, the chemical readings we are seeing are at or below the OSHA permissible exposure limits but above Shell HSSE standards requiring a shelter in place," the statement said.Something tells me that OSHA needs to revisit their permissible exposure limits. OSHA probably does need to revisit them. Plant personnel get repeated low-level exposures that aggregate.
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Post by yivit on Mar 22, 2019 20:48:07 GMT
It's on fire again.
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Post by Merge on Mar 22, 2019 21:15:09 GMT
Oh FFS.
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Post by utmr on Mar 22, 2019 21:24:45 GMT
Channel 13 (ABC affiliate if you’re not local) is saying that the fire is in the ditch running down towards the bayou. The dike breach sent runoff into the ditch which is now on fire.
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Post by Merge on Mar 22, 2019 21:36:46 GMT
Channel 13 (ABC affiliate if you’re not local) is saying that the fire is in the ditch running down towards the bayou. The dike breach sent runoff into the ditch which is now on fire. Well that can't be good.
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Post by yivit on Mar 22, 2019 21:37:43 GMT
Channel 13 (ABC affiliate if you’re not local) is saying that the fire is in the ditch running down towards the bayou. The dike breach sent runoff into the ditch which is now on fire. Yep, one of the fires is the ditch that goes into Taylor Bayou and then into BUffalo Bayou and the Ship Channel. They got an earthen dam in place earlier today though and it seems to be holding so the flames and contaminants aren't going into the bayou as of now.
A couple of the tanks have reignited too.
This is probably all from teh containment wall breach earlier today that took the foam off the top of everything.
ITC has bought all the foam in an 800 mile area.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 5, 2024 2:37:03 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Mar 23, 2019 3:26:49 GMT
Channel 13 (ABC affiliate if you’re not local) is saying that the fire is in the ditch running down towards the bayou. The dike breach sent runoff into the ditch which is now on fire. Yep, one of the fires is the ditch that goes into Taylor Bayou and then into BUffalo Bayou and the Ship Channel. They got an earthen dam in place earlier today though and it seems to be holding so the flames and contaminants aren't going into the bayou as of now.
A couple of the tanks have reignited too.
This is probably all from teh containment wall breach earlier today that took the foam off the top of everything.
ITC has bought all the foam in an 800 mile area.
Just horrible. Every time I've flown into Houston, I've wondered about those vast expanses of chemicals and been concerned about something like this happening.
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Post by tracyarts on Mar 23, 2019 4:34:35 GMT
On talking with friends and neighbors, I'm shocked at the number of people who blew off the shelter in place order, and the reasons why.
It was not a legally enforceable order. While people were prevented from entering the shelter zone while it was happening, those already inside were free to go outside, move about the area, or leave the area. Private businesses were allowed to remain open if they wished. Local police were only preventing people from accessing the areas closest to the fire, and preventing people from driving into the affected area. There were no grounds to stop people just going out in it for mundane reasons.
So some people went to the store, to a restaurant, to visit friends, to check "how bad it was" outside. Get stuff out of the car, let dogs out and back in, etc...
There are a lot of sick people today. I wonder how many were out exposing themselves to the chemicals for no good reason.
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Deleted
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May 5, 2024 2:37:03 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Mar 23, 2019 14:16:20 GMT
"Late Friday, the state of Texas sued Intercontinental Terminals — the Houston-based company whose petrochemical storage facility in the suburb of Deer Park caught fire last weekend and burned for days, sending a dramatic plume of black smoke over the nation’s fourth-largest city. The lawsuit, filed in state district court on behalf of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, alleges that air pollution released during the fire is a violation of the Texas Clean Air Act. It seeks a permanent injunction and civil penalties that “could exceed $100,000.”" www.texastribune.org/2019/03/22/texas-sues-company-deer-park-terminal-fire/Wow, a whole $100,000! Wonder what fraction of a percent of their profits that was? They probably have a line in a risk spreadsheet somewhere for at least 10x that much per year. Just the cost of doing business.
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Deleted
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May 5, 2024 2:37:03 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Mar 23, 2019 14:22:29 GMT
ps - beware what you sign over this issue:
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