6 ms·

I'm from Charleston WV and live a couple miles from where the spill took place. People stormed stores for bottled water and some even resorted to stealing to a

by lspears 13y ago

I'm from Charleston WV and live a couple miles from where the spill took place. People stormed stores for bottled water and some even resorted to stealing to avoid getting the rationed amount. About 1/6 of the state's population doesn't have access to drinking water and many don't have the money to "take a vacation" and leave the region. Businesses can't operatorate and the economic repercussions will devistate the region. The question everyone has is how long will it last? The chemical is dispersed in the water pipes spanning 8 counties and there is no easy way to get it out. We have been angered about the lack of national attention this has received and it makes us feel like no one cares about our state.

rdtsc 13y ago
Any action from FEMA or any govt agency? I would hope they would be bringing in and rationing drinking water. This looks like a major disaster from what I understand, and the situation has the potential to deteriorate rather quickly.
- vonzeppelin 13y ago
  "FEMA said Friday that 75 trucks -- each carrying 18,500 liters of water -- were expected to begin arriving in Charleston by early evening."
- mhurron 13y ago
  > FEMA Don't forget, thanks to state rights, they have to be invited in.
  - angersock 13y ago
    And this is bad why exactly?
    - rdtsc 13y ago
      I could be bad if the state doesn't really have the best interest of its people as the top item on their agenda. I would think that would be pretty obvious...
      - angersock 13y ago
        And what makes you think that that is the top item in the agenda of the federal government?
        rdtsc 13y ago
        Did I say it is? I said it could be. And given the influence of mining companies in the region, I say there is a high probability that is the case.
        ewoodrich 13y ago
        FEMA tends to respond in varying degrees to most disasters, following a suitable declaration of a state of emergency. It's a federal agency, with a very specific role, so not being the "top item" for the federal government is just a weak rhetorical argument.
    - mhurron 13y ago
      Well for one, I could have sworn these were United States and one country. State rights makes it so they don't operate that way and the Federal Government of the people, by the people and for the people can't help the people without a request from another source in the same way they would offer aid to a foreign nation. This of course never leads to governments using this to play politics to be able to blame the Federal Government to make themselves look better, or the Federal Government look bad. No that would never happen.
      - angersock 13y ago
        Do tell, how much does the average person in Austin, Texas have in common with somebody in Salt Lake City, Utah? How much do those people have in common with the average person in Oakland? States rights make it so that each state can dictate policy best suited and tuned for its own population--and so that it can be held more directly responsible by its populace.
        mhurron 13y ago
        If you pull your head out of your ass, you'll see Americans aren't all that different and they need all the same aid as each other in a disaster. Hell, American's aren't all that different than Canadians, but apparently you believe people are different species because they live one one side of an imaginary line or another. The federal government isn't going to be dictating people in Austin all wear winter coats because it gets cold in Jeuno. But they are hindered in their ability to render aid to the very people they govern because each state acts like its own little country.
        chillzilla 13y ago
        One thing they have in common is they all use water.
        anigbrowl 13y ago
        As I happen to live in Oakland, I consider myself to have a great deal in common with people in the other places you mention. Sure, I have quite different political and religious views from the stereotypical resident of those places, but what we have in common outweighs that by far - about the same physical needs, vulnerabilities, degree of caring about family members etc. In any kind of disaster situation the basic needs of food, shelter, warmth, medical care, communications and so on vary little.
  - rdtsc 13y ago
    Interesting. That is kind of dangerous. In a way corrupt politicians who are in bed with mining companies will probably try to delay or minimize exposure as much as possible and only act until it is too late. By that point a lot more people would be exposed to these chemicals. I also understand people mostly accept and support mining, as it is seen as the only real economic driver in the state. This might change that perspective, depending on how it is handled.
    - jotm 13y ago
      Fortunately, in this case they acted quickly, FEMA's already shipping water, and they're mobilizing the National Guard...
- mud_dauber 13y ago
  A gov't agency, which I'm not sure, ordered the plant operator to cease operations earlier today.
utefan001 13y ago
The media is a bit obsessed with the Governor of New Jersey right now. I did hear about the spill this AM on the car radio. I live in Washington DC. How far is the nearest "water distribution center" from you?
TallGuyShort 13y ago
I don't mean to sound unsympathetic, because this is truly an unpleasant, if not dangerous, situation, but don't more people keep a supply of water somewhere in their home? I don't really consider myself THAT well-prepared a survivalist, but I've got about 40 gallons of drinking water stored up. I would highly recommend that everybody do the same. Drinking water is vital, and so many things can interrupt your supply that you really need to look into storing several days worth. Again - I don't mean to sound unsympathetic - I wish everyone in your area a speedy resolution to this situation.
- gkop 13y ago
  Perhaps you live in a region with a characteristic natural disaster threat, or maybe you live in an urban area (or at least, you do not draw your water from a private or local-community well). WV is a low-risk area for various natural disasters [1] . And it is relatively rural and gets good rainfall - folks aren't generally depending on giant city-wide water infrastructure or imported water, but rather on smaller, distributed water supplies that are individually perceived to be rather dependable. [1] http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/05/01/weekinreview/01safe.html http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/05/01/weekinreview/0...
- lspears 13y ago
  Drinking water isn't the only consideration. People can't take showers, cook with water, or even wash their hands. It wouldn't be a problem if it was one day, but if it goes on it will make living in the area terrible. The real issue is they don't know how long the region will be effected.
  - mrtron 13y ago
    In the short term, drinking water is 100 times more important than the other items. Long term I don't know how they are going to deal with something of this magnitude.
- silencio 13y ago
  Even FEMA doesn't recommend you store that much water - they were recommending one gallon per person per day for three days before considering anything else (climate, type of emergency, children/pets/elderly/sick people). Plus you have to make sure that it hasn't expired or gone bad... 40 gallons is a lot more than people will consider storing. Hell, I don't even have space for 40 gallons of water anywhere. I barely have any room for a 3 day stash of food/water and a first aid kit. Plus maybe some of these people do have a good amount of drinking water stored up for an emergency, but there is no ETA on cleanup yet so they have to prepare for the worst. Even 40 gallons isn't enough if this goes on for a week for a family. Also as a co-owner of a small fast food restaurant (in northern california), I can't use stored water for anything related to running the business. 40 gallons is a literal drop in the bucket in one day of use too, let alone however many days it will take to clean up the spill. That's a lot of businesses closed right there because they literally can't do anything to prevent that from happening. That alone, even before considering individual water needs, is a big deal.
smclaughlin 13y ago
Another Charleston native here, I think you're spot on. 300,000+ people are without water, yet the media's focus is still on the drama surrounding Chris Christie's traffic jam.
mynameishere 13y ago
If this goes on for more than a few weeks, it's going to put every single restaurant out of business. And god knows what else.
mud_dauber 13y ago
I'm also from Charleston and spent two summers painting the very tanks that are the source of this mess. The plant previously belonged to Pennzoil and was ancient when I was there as a HS student in the 70s. The place, IMO, was a leak waiting to happen just out of sheer age.

by lspears 13y ago

rdtsc 13y ago

Any action from FEMA or any govt agency? I would hope they would be bringing in and rationing drinking water. This looks like a major disaster from what I understand, and the situation has the potential to deteriorate rather quickly.

vonzeppelin 13y ago
"FEMA said Friday that 75 trucks -- each carrying 18,500 liters of water -- were expected to begin arriving in Charleston by early evening."
mhurron 13y ago
> FEMA Don't forget, thanks to state rights, they have to be invited in.
- angersock 13y ago
  And this is bad why exactly?
  - rdtsc 13y ago
    I could be bad if the state doesn't really have the best interest of its people as the top item on their agenda. I would think that would be pretty obvious...
    - angersock 13y ago
      And what makes you think that that is the top item in the agenda of the federal government?
      - rdtsc 13y ago
        Did I say it is? I said it could be. And given the influence of mining companies in the region, I say there is a high probability that is the case.
      - ewoodrich 13y ago
        FEMA tends to respond in varying degrees to most disasters, following a suitable declaration of a state of emergency. It's a federal agency, with a very specific role, so not being the "top item" for the federal government is just a weak rhetorical argument.
  - mhurron 13y ago
    Well for one, I could have sworn these were United States and one country. State rights makes it so they don't operate that way and the Federal Government of the people, by the people and for the people can't help the people without a request from another source in the same way they would offer aid to a foreign nation. This of course never leads to governments using this to play politics to be able to blame the Federal Government to make themselves look better, or the Federal Government look bad. No that would never happen.
    - angersock 13y ago
      Do tell, how much does the average person in Austin, Texas have in common with somebody in Salt Lake City, Utah? How much do those people have in common with the average person in Oakland? States rights make it so that each state can dictate policy best suited and tuned for its own population--and so that it can be held more directly responsible by its populace.
      - mhurron 13y ago
        If you pull your head out of your ass, you'll see Americans aren't all that different and they need all the same aid as each other in a disaster. Hell, American's aren't all that different than Canadians, but apparently you believe people are different species because they live one one side of an imaginary line or another. The federal government isn't going to be dictating people in Austin all wear winter coats because it gets cold in Jeuno. But they are hindered in their ability to render aid to the very people they govern because each state acts like its own little country.
      - chillzilla 13y ago
        One thing they have in common is they all use water.
      - anigbrowl 13y ago
        As I happen to live in Oakland, I consider myself to have a great deal in common with people in the other places you mention. Sure, I have quite different political and religious views from the stereotypical resident of those places, but what we have in common outweighs that by far - about the same physical needs, vulnerabilities, degree of caring about family members etc. In any kind of disaster situation the basic needs of food, shelter, warmth, medical care, communications and so on vary little.
- rdtsc 13y ago
  Interesting. That is kind of dangerous. In a way corrupt politicians who are in bed with mining companies will probably try to delay or minimize exposure as much as possible and only act until it is too late. By that point a lot more people would be exposed to these chemicals. I also understand people mostly accept and support mining, as it is seen as the only real economic driver in the state. This might change that perspective, depending on how it is handled.
  - jotm 13y ago
    Fortunately, in this case they acted quickly, FEMA's already shipping water, and they're mobilizing the National Guard...
mud_dauber 13y ago
A gov't agency, which I'm not sure, ordered the plant operator to cease operations earlier today.

utefan001 13y ago

The media is a bit obsessed with the Governor of New Jersey right now. I did hear about the spill this AM on the car radio. I live in Washington DC. How far is the nearest "water distribution center" from you?

TallGuyShort 13y ago

I don't mean to sound unsympathetic, because this is truly an unpleasant, if not dangerous, situation, but don't more people keep a supply of water somewhere in their home? I don't really consider myself THAT well-prepared a survivalist, but I've got about 40 gallons of drinking water stored up. I would highly recommend that everybody do the same. Drinking water is vital, and so many things can interrupt your supply that you really need to look into storing several days worth. Again - I don't mean to sound unsympathetic - I wish everyone in your area a speedy resolution to this situation.

gkop 13y ago
Perhaps you live in a region with a characteristic natural disaster threat, or maybe you live in an urban area (or at least, you do not draw your water from a private or local-community well). WV is a low-risk area for various natural disasters [1] . And it is relatively rural and gets good rainfall - folks aren't generally depending on giant city-wide water infrastructure or imported water, but rather on smaller, distributed water supplies that are individually perceived to be rather dependable. [1] http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/05/01/weekinreview/01safe.html http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/05/01/weekinreview/0...
lspears 13y ago
Drinking water isn't the only consideration. People can't take showers, cook with water, or even wash their hands. It wouldn't be a problem if it was one day, but if it goes on it will make living in the area terrible. The real issue is they don't know how long the region will be effected.
- mrtron 13y ago
  In the short term, drinking water is 100 times more important than the other items. Long term I don't know how they are going to deal with something of this magnitude.
silencio 13y ago
Even FEMA doesn't recommend you store that much water - they were recommending one gallon per person per day for three days before considering anything else (climate, type of emergency, children/pets/elderly/sick people). Plus you have to make sure that it hasn't expired or gone bad... 40 gallons is a lot more than people will consider storing. Hell, I don't even have space for 40 gallons of water anywhere. I barely have any room for a 3 day stash of food/water and a first aid kit. Plus maybe some of these people do have a good amount of drinking water stored up for an emergency, but there is no ETA on cleanup yet so they have to prepare for the worst. Even 40 gallons isn't enough if this goes on for a week for a family. Also as a co-owner of a small fast food restaurant (in northern california), I can't use stored water for anything related to running the business. 40 gallons is a literal drop in the bucket in one day of use too, let alone however many days it will take to clean up the spill. That's a lot of businesses closed right there because they literally can't do anything to prevent that from happening. That alone, even before considering individual water needs, is a big deal.

smclaughlin 13y ago

Another Charleston native here, I think you're spot on. 300,000+ people are without water, yet the media's focus is still on the drama surrounding Chris Christie's traffic jam.

mynameishere 13y ago

If this goes on for more than a few weeks, it's going to put every single restaurant out of business. And god knows what else.

mud_dauber 13y ago

I'm also from Charleston and spent two summers painting the very tanks that are the source of this mess. The plant previously belonged to Pennzoil and was ancient when I was there as a HS student in the 70s. The place, IMO, was a leak waiting to happen just out of sheer age.