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Comments:
JT - 2004-05-17 21:59:04 the leak was deemed 'fixed' around 8 p.m. or so. By the looks of it, they were excavating near leforge road and nicked a gas pipe. I find this particularly amusing as anyone in ypsilanti has seen the massive grafiti everywhere on the streets over the past year, indicating the precise location of every sewer, water, electrical, phone, and gas line so as to provide that information as cautions when the streets are repaved. Regardless, I think this is wonderful news as it will at least make it to the papers and a few blurbs on tv, and the whole episode makes the construction firm look both sloppy and unqualified for the task at hand. Another thing, is that all the local children were kept somewhere else and at 9 p.m. a group of buses rolled onto leforge to drop them off- Literally hundreds of families had their day's routines completely ruined by this. Finally, I should add that I talked briefly with a policeman about it, and he bitterly referred to the construction crew as 'nincompoops'. * * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2004-05-18 08:50:11 Thanks Brett! Yep, the news story echoes what you said--that lots of families were school-bused out of the nearby apartments and taken to Bowen Field House, which is (very) roughly the same distance from the paper mill as the apartments are, so I don't understand that too well. And since when are people bused out for a gas main nick? I mean, that main is at least a quarter mile from the nearest apartment across the river and past Peninsular Park--what's the fuss? Even an explosion wouldn't carry that far...would it? Am I being too skeptical? * * * * * * * * * * * * tom - 2004-05-18 09:03:51 According to one report I saw, the construction company claimed that Miss Dig mislocated the gas main. As for bussing people hither and yon, excessive caution is the norm in this hyperlitigious society.* * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2004-05-18 09:07:12 thanks Tom (does anybody ever accept responsibility for making a mistake any more?--I really doubt Miss Dig mislocated the main; that's their whole raison d'etre, to locate pipes and things).* * * * * * * * * * * * Hillary - 2004-05-18 10:46:40 Miss Dig damages underground lines all the time. LPG is classified as an asphyxiant because it is heavier than air and may displace normal breathing air. Fire department policy is to evacuate everyone downwind of the break. * * * * * * * * * * * * tom - 2004-05-18 12:30:25 It's not completely implausible Miss Dig screwed up. They completely missed a telephone cable on my property when I had a new septic field installed, and the excavator innocently cut it, cutting off my neighbor.* * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2004-05-18 12:36:18 Hmm. OK. LPG? Liquid...petroleum?...gas? * * * * * * * * * * * * Mark Maynard - 2004-05-18 14:30:06 News helecopters were buzzing my house yesterday at around 6:00. I thought that maybe a fugative was on the loose in the neighborhood. Glad to hear it was only another toxic gas cloud.* * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2004-05-18 14:31:38 hee hee--best laugh all day, thanks Mark.* * * * * * * * * * * * brett - 2004-05-20 08:14:17 the coverage this story is getting in the press is very pathetic, and serves as a wonderful example of how what your 'read in the paper' is generally not very accurate. All the sources are referring to around 100 people being evacuated, and 'eastern highlands' being the only complex effected. The truth of the matter (as I was one of those displaced) is that other, larger complexes were ALSO evacuated, and more importantly the street closures of leforge and huron served as a defacto evacuation as hundreds of others couldn't reach their homes; so, in other words, this story was a lot more newsworthy than it is being described in most sources. Another irritation is that the stories all blandly refer to "a construction crew demolishing a paper mill", and nobody is saying "K & E CONSTRUCTION of Columbus Ohio, working for Edwards Communities of that same city"- it really seems like a major error was made, and I think the responsible firms deserve to at least have their names mentioned in the articles.* * * * * * * * * * * * brett - 2004-05-20 08:24:40 I was trying to get down off my soapbox and accidentally fell back onto it, so here's another comment- although I'm surely preaching to the choir here, the ann arbor news had undoubtedly the most pathetic coverage of all. the story was buried in an "In brief" section on the 18th of may edition, and features all of the errors i mentioned above. One would think that such a story might warrant its own article, maybe even a photo? Considering what stories did make it to the front page, one can only surmise that the news a) doesn't give a damn what happens in ypsilanti and b) especially doesn't care if it involves events happening up here in the 'student ghettoes', and c) apparently gets its information from watching the detroit tv news and copying down what they said. I promise I'm getting off the soapbox for real this time (for now).* * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2004-05-20 18:45:59 Yes, please, because it's my turn. :) I agree with brett completely--this was a major incident lackadaisically covered! And I'm disappointed in the journalists who just took the explanation of the "officials" at face value--if such an accident happens at such a site I'd sure do a whole lot more poking around to find out if maybe--just maybe--there's more going on, considering the highly toxic environment and the huge disruptive response to a "gas nick."* * * * * * * * * * * * brett - 2004-05-20 20:05:57 back on the soapbox---around the time the pipe was sealed, I was down in front of the mill watching a few late-arriving news reporters attempting to cover the event. they (and I) were all trying to hold our cameras up over the fence to get a picture of the interior of "THE HOLE". A reporter was feebly trying to talk to the woprkers, who weren't giving him the time of day. eventually he came back over to his camerawoman, and told her "They said you can't take a picture of the inside of the hole because electricity from your camera might spark an explosion- but it's not because they don't want us to take pictures, it's just for safety reasons". It took every ounce of my will not to shriek 'bullshit' at the top of my lungs, as the hole was surrounded by tons of machinery putting sparks off all over the place- it seems like this reporter pretty much summarized the state of modern journalism in assuming that if someone was nice enough to talk to him, then they must be telling the truth.* * * * * * * * * * * * brett - 2004-05-20 20:06:00 back on the soapbox---around the time the pipe was sealed, I was down in front of the mill watching a few late-arriving news reporters attempting to cover the event. they (and I) were all trying to hold our cameras up over the fence to get a picture of the interior of "THE HOLE". A reporter was feebly trying to talk to the woprkers, who weren't giving him the time of day. eventually he came back over to his camerawoman, and told her "They said you can't take a picture of the inside of the hole because electricity from your camera might spark an explosion- but it's not because they don't want us to take pictures, it's just for safety reasons". It took every ounce of my will not to shriek 'bullshit' at the top of my lungs, as the hole was surrounded by tons of machinery putting sparks off all over the place- it seems like this reporter pretty much summarized the state of modern journalism in assuming that if someone was nice enough to talk to him, then they must be telling the truth.* * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2004-05-20 20:59:49 You are providing excellent coverage of this, Brett--thank you. Bullshit, indeed--"sparks"--oh, please, like any camera ever gave off a spark to begin with! If it had been me I would like to think that I'd have slipped on over to the hole and taken pictures and asked permission later! But I wasn't there, so I don't know how tight a hold they maintained on "the hole." Still, (just randomizing, here) I'd think a major PCB spill might be a slight deterrant to developers and a PR crisis to a city desperate to lure some $.* * * * * * * * * * * * add your comment: |