California lawmakers are increasing pressure on the federal government over an ongoing toxic chemical emergency at the GKN aerospace plant in Garden Grove. Congressman Derek Tran and Senator Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla Officially urging President Donald Trump to approve a federal emergency declaration.
Last week, the temperature of a tank containing MMA began to soar, causing problems at the GKN aerospace plant in Garden Grove.
At some point the tank began to expand, “and it reached what we call a BLEVE, a ‘boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion,'” Covey said Friday afternoon.
Evacuation orders were issued for the area north of Garden Grove Avenue, east of Springdale Avenue, west of Dale Street and south of Orangewood Avenue.
The four shelters set up to aid evacuations in Huntington Beach, La Palma, Anaheim and Fountain Valley are now all full, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Call for a federal emergency
Gov. Gavin Newsom and three federal lawmakers urged the Trump administration to declare the Garden Grove chemical incident a disaster.
U.S. Rep. Derek Tran (D-Orange) signed a letter with Sens. Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla urging the federal government to provide additional resources for the campaign, which entered its fourth day on Sunday. Tran shared a copy of the letter on X.
In a letter to Trump, lawmakers said the “Western incident” at the aerospace facility remains unresolved and poses an “imminent threat of a toxic chemical release or explosion.”
The letter said the incident was “extremely flammable and poses a serious risk to public health” and resulted in the evacuation of approximately 40,000 residents and numerous businesses. Lawmakers are demanding faster federal aid and protections for Orange County communities.
Read more: Stanton evacuation update: Orange County reissues order after Garden Grove chemical spill
‘The severity of this disaster requires additional coordination’
“The severity of this disaster requires additional coordination and federal support. Therefore, we urge you to quickly approve California’s emergency declaration request and provide emergency protective measures and direct federal assistance under the Orange County Public Assistance Program
The declaration will allow the federal government, through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, to assist state and local governments with emergency protective measures, according to a news release from Newsom.
“California will not wait for disaster to happen; we will act early to protect lives and communities,” Newsom said.
“We are working with local and federal partners to strengthen our ability to respond quickly and effectively in Garden Grove and surrounding communities and ensure first responders have the resources they need to keep people safe,” he continued.
