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Epilogue
At 8:30 pm the tank finally burst and approximately 2,750lbs of hydrogen fluoride
was released over 20 minutes. By the time of the release, emergency responders
had installed a water spray curtain and this helped control the vapor plume.
The wind at the time of the release had shifted to the WNW at 6-7 mph.
There were no fatalities. One hospital reported approximately 50 people admitted
for minor skin irritation and respiratory complaints. People returned to their
homes at approximately 10 pm. Schools were open the next day.
Reflection and Debrief
The following plots incorporate the current meteorological data at the time
of release (8:30pm). Before beginning the reflection and debrief activity, take
a moment to review these plots and compare them to the information you used
to make your decisions in this scenario.
Once you have reviewed the above plots, please read the following questions
and discuss them with your mentor and/or the other members of your team.
- Did your action plan account for the possibility of a shift in wind direction
and speed? Given the plots of the plume dispersal at 8:30pm, were your decisions
still appropriate or would you have changed any decisions on evacuation, sheltering,
etc.? Which ones?
- The estimates on the amount of chemical released turned out to be fairly
accurate in this scenario. What would have been the impact on your decisions
had the initial estimates been very different than the amount actually released?
- How did you balance the need to protect public health (by issuing shelter
or evacuate orders) while at the same time trying not to impact population
areas that were unlikely to be affected?
- How does the city of North Pointe compare to your own city or town? What
are the greatest similarities and/or differences? How do you think this would
affect the decisions you would make in your area?
- What were some of the biggest differences in using the NOAA CAMEO/ALOHA
products and the NARAC products? How did these differences force you to reevaluate
your response to the chemical leak?
- How do you plan to apply the work you did in this scenario to the real-life
decisions you make on the job?
- What part of the scenario did you and your team find most challenging? Why?
