Garden Grove, CA Hazardous Materials Incident Situation Report #1

Garden Grove HazMat Incident SitRep #1.pdf

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Highlights:  

·       A tank containing methyl methacrylate (MMA) located at the GKN Aerospace facility in Garden Grove, CA:

o   MMA is a flammable, toxic, and highly volatile material used in acrylic plastics manufacturing.

o   A crack occurred in the tank, which could cause the tank to explode.

o   Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) has been working to actively cooling tanks, mitigating exposure risks, conducting air monitoring, and coordinating actions and contingency plans.

o   As of May 25^th, OCFA reported that the threat of a Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion (massive explosion) has been eliminated. However, there is still an ongoing threat to public safety and the evacuation orders remain in effect.

o   The mandatory evacuation orders affect 50,000 residents.

·       The City of Garden Grove on May 22^nd announced that it has postponed the Strawberry Parade and Stomp 5K Race.

·       There is one hospital and 11 nursing homes in the evacuation zone. The hospital patients and staff have relocated to the Department of State Hospitals, Metropolitan in Norwalk.

·       Orange County has opened eight shelters and two care centers to support residents:

·       Four school districts are being affected by this incident; these are:

o   Garden Grove District: 12 schools have been closed.

o   Magnolia School District: One school has been closed.

o   Savanna School District: All campuses will be closed from May 25-29.

o   Westminster School District: Two schools have been closed.

·       The California State Operations Center (SOC) is partially activated and the Governor has declared a State of Emergency.

·       A Federal Emergency Management Agency Liaison Officer is working in the SOC.

·       The Environmental Protection Agency has deployed on-scene coordinators and Air Monitoring Stations, with an Environmental Response Team:

o   A total of 24 perimeter air monitors are in place.

Sources:

·       FEMA National Situation Report, May 25^th 

·       City of Garden Grove Emergency Website

·       City of Garden Grove Twitter Page 

·       Orange County Fire Authority Twitter Page 

·       Orange County Health Care Agency Twitter Page 

·       California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services Twitter Page 

Resources

Health Advisory: Information on Methyl Methacrylate

https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CCDPHP/DEODC/OHB/CDPH%20Document%20Library/Health-Advisory-Information-on-Methyl-Methacrylate.pdf