Fogbow

somerset wrote: ↑Tue Mar 07, 2023 9:41 pm

northland10 wrote: ↑Tue Mar 07, 2023 7:54 pm I would have liked to do more on the derailment analysis, but the DOT data set is somewhat granular but limited on the visuals. If I had more time, I would have extracted the filtered data and done an analysis on my own where I could combine some of their aggregates and put in some different counts that provide more context.

However, I don't have time to do my day job right now, albeit with derailments instead of fundraising data.

Thanks for work you did! I learned some new things

A CSX Corp (CSX.O) freight train derailed early on Wednesday after it struck a rockslide in Sandston, West Virginia, causing injuries to three crew members and spilling diesel fuel into a nearby river, the U.S. railroad operator said in a statement.

Preliminary information indicated that all four of the train's locomotives and nine empty coal cars derailed, the company said. The lead locomotive had three crew members on board.



In Wednesday's incident, the locomotive caught fire, but all three crew members were being treated for non-life threatening injuries, CSX said.

"An unknown quantity of diesel fuel and oil spilled from the derailed locomotives and environmental measures will be deployed in the New River for containment," the company added.

It said there were no hazardous materials being transported by this train and the incident posed no danger to the public. The company added it was in touch with local authorities to work on recovery efforts.

Another Norfolk Southern train derailed in Alabama on Thursday morning, the company confirmed in a statement to Axios.

Driving the news: This is the third such incident since early February. A derailment of a two-mile long freight train in East Palestine, Ohio that was carrying hazardous chemicals has put a spotlight on the company and left residents of East Palestine concerned about the safety of their air and water.

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) interrupted testimony from Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw before a hearing of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee to tell Shaw of the derailment.

“I certainly hope that all of your team and the anybody in the vicinity is safe and well," Whitehouse said. "You may need to look into that.”

Norfolk Southern said in a statement that there were no injuries and "no reports of a hazardous materials release."

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Ohio filed a lawsuit against railroad Norfolk Southern to make sure it pays for the cleanup and environmental damage caused by a fiery train derailment on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border last month, the state’s attorney general said Tuesday.

The federal lawsuit also seeks to force the company to pay for groundwater and soil monitoring in the years ahead and economic losses in the village of East Palestine and surrounding areas, said Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost.

“The fallout from this highly preventable accident is going to reverberate throughout Ohio for many years to come,” Yost said.

No one was hurt in the Feb. 3 derailment, but half of the roughly 5,000 residents of East Palestine had to evacuate for days when responders intentionally burned toxic chemicals in some of the derailed cars to prevent an uncontrolled explosion, leaving residents with lingering health concerns. Government officials say tests over the past month haven’t found dangerous levels of chemicals in the air or water in the area

Plan to test for dioxins near Ohio train derailment site is flawed, experts say
Test relies on visual inspection of ash to then check soil for toxins, which is ‘unlikely to give a complete picture’ of contamination

Tom Perkins
Fri 24 Mar 2023 10.00 GMT

A plan to test for toxic dioxins near the site of a February train wreck in East Palestine, Ohio, is flawed and unlikely to find the dangerous substances, independent chemical pollution researchers in the US who reviewed the testing protocol told the Guardian.

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Initial soil testing already revealed dioxin levels hundreds of times above the threshold that Environmental Protection Agency scientists have found poses a cancer risk, but that sampling was limited in scope.

Regulators have said further testing being conducted by the Norfolk Southern-funded contractor Arcadis US will provide a broader picture than the initial samples. But, among other problems, the plan relies on what experts characterized as an “unconventional” process to check for dioxins, and the results are “unlikely to give a complete picture”, of contamination in East Palestine, said Stephen Lester, a toxicologist with the Center for Health, Environment and Justice.

“It is very limited and I don’t think it’s going to answer the questions people in East Palestine have about dioxin exposure and the risk they have from dioxin exposure,” Lester added.

Arcadis noted its plan was developed “in consultation with” the EPA, but, among other concerns, dioxin researchers who reviewed the plan noted:

• Arcadis will largely rely on visual inspections of the ground to find evidence of dioxins, instead of systematically testing soil samples that may contain the compounds, which is standard protocol.
  The plan does not say how low the levels of dioxin the company will check for will be.
  Testing will only be conducted up to two miles from the accident site when ash has been found up to 20 miles away.
  The testing is limited to soil and does not include food or water.

The EPA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The agency’s response to the train crash has drawn intense criticism from the town’s residents and public health advocates who say it has failed to protect East Palestine from toxic chemicals spilled from the cars, as well as dioxins probably released from a controlled burn of vinyl chloride days after the wreck.



https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/202 ... lan-flawed

Freeway crash kills 6 youths thrown from car in Tennessee
6 killed, 2 injured in crash on I-24 West in Robertson CountyScroll back up to restore default view.

Sun, March 26, 2023 at 9:26 PM GMT+2

PLEASANT VIEW, Tenn. (AP) — A car crash killed six young people, including a 1-year-old infant, after they were ejected from their vehicle early Sunday on a freeway in middle Tennessee, authorities said. Two adults were injured, one of them critically.

Emergency crews found a car upside down with extensive damage when they responded at about 2 a.m. to the crash site in Robertson County, said Brent Dyer, chief of the county's emergency management services office.

First responders found six females ranging in age from 1 to 18 who had been thrown from the car and could not be resuscitated, Dyer said in a news release.

A woman was hospitalized in critical condition after apparently being ejected from the car, officials said. A man suffered minor injuries, officials said,

A second vehicle whose driver was not hurt was found near the damaged car, officials said. Those who were killed and injured were not immediately identified. It was not immediately clear if they were related.

The crash took place on I-24 near Pleasant View and Springfield, and a section of the highway was closed for hours before reopening later Sunday. The Tennessee Highway Patrol is investigating the cause of the crash.

The county emergency management office is coordinating professional mental health and counseling services for crews that responded to the crash.




https://www.yahoo.com/news/freeway-cras ... 07219.html

A plan to test for toxic dioxins near the site of a February train wreck in East Palestine, Ohio, is flawed and unlikely to find the dangerous substances, independent chemical pollution researchers in the US who reviewed the testing protocol told the Guardian.

Three barges, one of them transporting about 1,400 tons of methanol, were pinned against a dam on the Ohio River in Louisville, Kentucky, on Tuesday, officials said.

The three were part of a group of 10 that broke free from their tugboat about 2 a.m. Tuesday after it hit with a structure at the entrance to the Portland Canal, near the river’s McAlpine Locks and Dam, Louisville’s Emergency Management Agency said in a statement. One barge remained attached, and all except for the one carrying methanol were transporting soy and corn, the agency said.

“There is currently zero evidence of a tank breach or any leaks, and air and water monitoring resources are in place,” the statement said.

The situation prompted officials to limit traffic on the river as state and federal agencies responded and tried to remove the three barges, Coast Guard spokesperson Chris Davis said.

A train hauling ethanol and corn syrup derailed and caught fire in Minnesota early Thursday and nearby residents were ordered to evacuate their homes, authorities said.

The BNSF train derailed in the town of Raymond, roughly 100 miles (161 kilometers) west of Minneapolis, about 1 a.m., according to a statement from Kandiyohi County Sheriff Eric Tollefson.

BNSF said in a statement that 22 cars derailed with four catching fire, but that no injuries were reported due to the accident.

“The main track is blocked and an estimated time for reopening the line is not available,” according to the statement from BNSF spokesperson Lena Kent. “The cause of the incident is under investigation.”

Homes in an area 1/2 mile (0.8 kilometers) around the site were evacuated, according to Tollefson, and residents were taken to a shelter in nearby Prinsburg.

Dave from down under wrote: ↑Thu Mar 30, 2023 6:25 pm https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-30/ ... /102167858

Two HH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, part of the 101st Airborne Division, crashed late Wednesday evening local time.

Trident Seafoods Factory Trawler Catches Fire in Tacoma
Fire aboard Kodiak EnterpriseFire aboard the Kodiak Enterprise, April 8, as seen from inside the fire boat Zenith (South King Fire and Rescue)

PUBLISHED APR 9, 2023 5:10 PM
BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE


On Saturday afternoon, a fire broke out aboard a Trident Seafoods factory trawler at Tacoma's Tideflats Port Facility, burning through the deckhouse and the wheelhouse. It is the second major fire aboard a Trident vessel in Tacoma since 2021.

The fire broke out in the early hours of Saturday morning, according to the Washington Department of Ecology. The Tacoma Fire Department dispatched crews to the scene to combat the fire from the pier, and South King Fire and Rescue sent the fire boat Zenith to assist from the water side. The U.S. Coast Guard closed down the waterway to marine traffic for safety, and multiple layers of booms were installed around the vessel to contain any potential spill.

The fire broke out in the early hours of Saturday morning, according to the Washington Department of Ecology. The Tacoma Fire Department dispatched crews to the scene to combat the fire from the pier, and South King Fire and Rescue sent the fire boat Zenith to assist from the water side. The U.S. Coast Guard closed down the waterway to marine traffic for safety, and multiple layers of booms were installed around the vessel to contain any potential spill.




https://maritime-executive.com/article/ ... -in-tacoma