An evacuation order remained in effect Wednesday for residents in an Ohio community as crews continued to work at the scene of a dangerous chemical leak.
Styrene, a toxic and flammable chemical that is used to make plastic and rubber, began leaking Tuesday afternoon from a railcar in Whitewater Township, a community of about 6,000 people just west of Cincinnati. The Hamilton County Emergency Management Agency advised anyone within a half-mile (about 800 meters) of the area near U.S. Route 50 and the Great Miami River to leave immediately.
Tom Ciuba, a spokesperson for Central Railroad of Indiana, which operates the tracks, said Wednesday that the railcar was no longer venting, He said crews worked overnight to put water on the car, but it hadn’t been removed from the tracks and wouldn’t be until officials determine it is safe to do so. He said air and water quality continue to be monitored, and that several roads near the area will remain closed indefinitely.
I live here! There aren’t many residential areas within half a mile of the site, the “downtown” area of Cleves is about a mile away, so the biggest damage to me personally is just that the grocery store is closed… hopefully it stays that minor, and goodluck to those who did have to evacuate
Edit: as of at least 6:30 PM, the roads are opened back up and evac order lifted. Just drove through there, still trucks and workers all around it, but seems to be wrapping up without too much incident that I’ve heard of anyways
Ohio can’t catch a break with these toxic rail cars.
