Macdona, TX June 28, 2004

! 0503What Happened?– Westbound Union Pacific– Eastbound Burlington Northern!Pulling onto siding to let UP pass– Not yet clear of main line– UP cuts through BNSF and derails!Blocks Nelson Road!Traps at least five families– Flooded Medina River to rear

! 0506Initial Reports– 911 call from 9221 Nelson Road!Misunderstands report!No advice for caller!No further contact with the two residents– Later found deceased in home! Bexar County Fire dispatches VFD!“Medical call” related to fire

! 0508Initial Reports– 911 call from 9251 Nelson Road!Advised to escape– Family leaves in vehicle, but road is blocked– Returns to home, calls 911 again!911 calls backs periodically– Family requests rescue for hours

! 0511Initial Reports– 911 call from EZ-Mart– Man collapses in doorway, choking– “Not connected” to other response– Ambulance is diverted from Nelson Road– Who is he?!Newspaper delivery man!Drove into cloud and wreckage

Initial Reports! 0515– Southwest VFD on-scene– Engine and crew drive into cloud! “Yellow smoke”! “Firefighter down”– Recognizes derailment– Requests assistance from other VFDs! 0520– SW discovers UP engineer! Transports to hospital in FD vehicle

! 0525Initial Reports– SW notifies Bexar County of derailment– Possible Hazmat! 0526– 911 calls UP for info!“Possible train-onon-train”– UP and BNSF!Chlorine!Updates responders on incident

! 0612NRC– UP notifies National Response Center! 0622!Unknown if derailment!Unknown materials!Unknown amounts!Unknown impacts!“Caller had limited information”– NRC notifies Region 6!Phone Duty Officer seeks information

! 0645– SunriseFinally… Daylight

! 0715Response– FOSC Harris notified!Chlorine!10-15K 15K gallons of fuel!Fire!Responders down– Began resource deployment!START!ASPECT!Request TCEQ Strike Team

! 0715Initial Evacuation Order– Local IC requests downwind ENS– Model for impact area has 57,000 residents!Predicted to go into San Antonio!Odors at Sea World– 8 miles– Call time will exceed 8 hours– No ENS sent– No notification of failure to local IC

! 0800START– San Antonio START onsite– Coordinates with local UC! 0830– Begins deploying offsite monitoring network– Constant contact with FOSC Harris– Requests support from START - Dallas

The Cloud Moves! No wind at site until 1000! 1000– SAFD Entry 1 enters Hot Zone!Heavy cloud– “Can’t t see the other end of the stretcher”!Misses turn across tracks, goes north!Drops two USEPA AreaRAES downwind– Immediately saturated!Discovers deceased, unidentified male– Missing UP Conductor

How and How Much?! 90-ton chlorine car! Head puncture from leading car– First in history, per NTSB! ALOHA model– 60 tons released in < 3 minutes– May be largest Cl2 release on record! Autorefrigerates– Traps 30 tons in car!Estimated from frost line

Plugging Operation! 1030– Two entry teams! Level B– Very difficult access– Unstable platform– Plugs hold! Wood + lead wool! ~11 x 2 inch gash

No Hot Zone Monitoring! Entry teams reporting “sensor saturation”– No monitoring– No readings! Many First Responders off air in Hot Zone– Ran out– Heat stress– “Seems clear”– Tanks and suits litter the landscape

! 1100Rescue Operation– AirLife lands near 9251 Nelson Road– High chlorine– Responders back on air or evacuating– Disabled residents are evacuated to chopper!Carried on by Entry Team

ASPECT Runs

ASPECT Results! High resolution aerial photos– Only ones taken during operation– Given to NTSB for investigation! IR scans– No detections

! 1230FOSCs Onsite– FOSCs Harris and Leos onsite– Coordinate with START and IC! SAFD notifies of pending demobe– Final ground searches– Body recovery! Begin developing UC structure! Co-locate CP with TCEQ Strike Team

Day 2! Car continues to smoke– No offsite chlorine detections! EPA Actions– Formalize and implement ICS / UC!Operations and Planning briefings!Initial press briefings– Prepare for UP to move chlorine car!Precautionary evacuation planning– Enhanced monitoring network

Day 3! Precautionary Evacuation– Initial ENS– Final ENS– ~20 homes– Car moved and stabilizedwithout incident– Residents return home! Rail is reconstructed andoperational

Impacts! Three fatalities! 43+ treated and/orhospitalized! Pets– Emus– Dogs! Wildlife! Property! Vegetation! Evacuations! Extended SIPs! Social / Political

Questions?http://www.epaosc.net/macdonatrainderailment