The local news is in disaster broadcast mode (preempted all the after midnight shows
). Seems a chemical plant in Apex NC just had fire and explosions with subsequent toxic gas cloud requiring the evacuation of 1/2 the town's estimated population (32,000). It's burning so strongly they can't get to it to start combatting the fire. People are already being admitted to local hospitals with respiratory issues. It appears the town is doing the right things with designated shelters, cordons, and forced evacuation (some mention of using busses to facilitate evacuation - NOLA are you taking notes?). Unfortunately it appears that individuals are not as well prepared. We'll have to wait and see what the morning brings. Meantime I'm throwing in some kudos for this thread and it's contributers. If everyone adhered to the principles we've espoused here, there might be some momentary hardship/inconvenience for prepared individuals but that will be mitigated by their degree of preparedness. The unprepared who depend on/expect external relief/support will (get what they deserve?) not pass the time nearly as comfortably. Fortunately I don't think the population of Apex suffers the same social dynamics as NOLA, nor do I expect the incident to last as long - but hopefully it's a wakeup call for those capable of listening. Peregrino