Schools evacuated after suspicious device found on rail car

DECATUR, AL (WAFF) -

Several schools were evacuated after authorities said a suspicious device was found attached to a rail car at the Daiken facility on Highway 20.

The following schools are being dismissed:

Julian Harris
Leon Sheffield
Benjamin Davis
Woodmeade
West Decatur
West Morgan Elementary, Middle School and High School (if students are not picked up before 10:45 they will be bused to Danville High School)
Clements High and Tanner High Schools are being transported to Ardmore High School (students that can drive can only leave in a car with parent permission)
Blue Springs students will be transported to Cedar Hill Elementary
The Decatur Calhoun students, staff and faculty have been instructed t

Schools evacuated after suspicious device found on rail car

I have a friend that lives in the area and this is what he just sent me on skype.

Authorities said the estimated potential danger zone is 25 miles and that
TVA officials are closely monitoring the situation at the Daiken facility near Decatur. Plant operations are currently unaffected but site personnel are prepared to take the appropriate actions to protect the public, our employees and the facility. At the Daikin plant, a rail car between a hydroflouric acid car and a chloroform car has a suspicious package on it. There is also a lot of question where the railcar originated from (outside of the USA - possibly Mexico). Basically a lot of misinformation at this point. But they are evacuating schools in a 5 mile radius and many schools to the north east of Daikin. The BP plant is under shelter-in-place right now.

Could this be a false flag, in progress terrorist attack, or nothing at all.

Time will tell.

There was a stream of cars leaving 3M and BP just now.
[11:51:18 AM] I got a call and text from Calhoun's mass notify system to evacuate the area immediately. Needless to say I was slightly confused.

[11:51:25 AM] these are all posts on local racing forum

[11:51:35 AM] NG about to send us home.

East Lawrence Elementary, Middle School, and High School (parents have until 11 a.m. to pick them up or they will be transported to the Moulton Coliseum)

[12:01:01 PM] Decatur Police, Decatur Fire Department, the Huntsville Bomb Squad and the FBI are on the scene.

I was going to post the link to the forum but you have to be a member to view it.

Here is another local news source: WHNT.com Blog

Here is a third source: WAAYTV

DECATUR, Ala. (WAAY) - WAAY just received the following alert from the Decatur Police Department:

UPDATE: News Conference: 1300 teachers and students relocated during the evacuation. Schools looking at how to transport students later today.

This was a precautionary action taken by the schools.

Once students have cleared from the schools, the bomb squad will move in and x-ray the device to confirm explosive or not. At that time we will make the call. They will not attempt to disarm the device until then.

UPDATE: Estimated potential danger zone is 25 miles. Current weather conditions indicate that the greatest danger area would be to the northeast should an explosion occur. The intersection of State Docks Rd and Highway 20 West can be used as a reference point.

"A suspicious device has been found attached to a rail car at the Daiken facility on Hwy 20 in Decatur. The rail car contains hazardous material.

I haven't seen anything on national news as of yet.

I would be interested to know what is considered to be a "suspicious package". I see lots of weird things on rail cars every day. It probably is just a car destined to a different customer that was mistakenly left in the wrong track by the train crew servicing the industry. We make mistakes just like anyone else!

Edit: or it could be a drug shipment. It is common to have drug shipments attached to rail cars coming from Mexico. The border patrol may have missed one.

25 mile danger zone - the "authorities" must be assuming it is a nuclear or chemical weapon then. If it were, then 25 miles is a good start I suppose.

Strange though, I thought that it was South Carolina that the United States Government was going to Nuke

The "authorities" have amazing intel to be able to ascertain a lonely little box-car has a device and arranged for the evac protocols so quickly.

Almost like they have rehearsed this scenario already.

[grabs popcorn]

reply to post by Montana


It could be a false alarm as well. I think it may be a drill or dry run...

any new info on this, not getting anything from my regular feeds.

reply to post by Sublimecraft


Back when I was a Volunteer Firefighter I got a bunch of FEMA certs. After Hurricane Katrina I focused on Emergency Management since I became heavily involved with the local EOC.

The evac/exclusion area varies on the type of chemicals involved and the wind direction and speed. Since I don't know the situation I can't say whether 25 miles is over kill or not. If it was a nuke we would see 25 mile radius and maybe 100 mile zone down wind for the initial evac area.

reply to post by Senduko


Live updates

You can follow the local news blog at the link. I am also getting info from a friend that lives in the area.

Police say the rail car contains Hydrogen Fluoride. Here are some facts about the substance from the Centers for Disease Control:
Hydrogen fluoride is a chemical compound that contains fluorine.
It can exist as a colorless gas or as a fuming liquid, or it can
be dissolved in water.

Hydrogen fluoride is used to make refrigerants, herbicides,
pharmaceuticals, high-octane gasoline, aluminum, plastics,
electrical components, and fluorescent light bulbs. Sixty percent
of the hydrogen fluoride used in manufacturing is for processes to
make refrigerants.

That is from the live blog I previously posted.

reply to post by Sublimecraft


I live a few miles from the area. They just showed a conference from a cop who said that they received the phone call from HOMELAND SECURITY at 7:40 this morning. Nothing was said, and no schools were evacuated until hours later. I was even in Decatur around 10 this morning, and I didn't know that anything was supposedly going on.

reply to post by SWCCFAN


Hydroflouric acid is nasty stuff, no doubt. But it isn't an inhalant or explosive hazard on the order of chlorine or other top hazards. I can think of several more damaging substances to put an explosive on.

I just got an update that the local EMA (Emergency Management Agency) is taking a wait and see approach. Also DHS (Homeland Security) is now involved along with local LE and the FBI.

FBI says the device is NOT dangerous.
So will be interesting to see what it is

FBI says the device has been removed. There will be a news conference at 1300CST.

Sublimecraft

The "authorities" have amazing intel to be able to ascertain a lonely little box-car has a device and arranged for the evac protocols so quickly.

Almost like they have rehearsed this scenario already.

[grabs popcorn]

Rehearsed, you say? I guess we will just have to wait for a media spokesperson to go live and say " we were training for this scenario just the other day"
Of course, then, I would start thinking that it is possible, perhaps, that they trained and forgot to remove their little package and just remembered it now so they are not wasting the opportunity.

Either that or this was totally planned to boost our want of more anti-terror protections. Once again, using kids to further an agenda, what (a) sick and twisted mind(s) thinks of these things.

The FBI says the package contained 2 kilos of marijuana. The train Originated in Mexico. So with that said, "Terrorist" could sneak anything in. Customs ... Epic fail!

evc1shop

Sublimecraft

The "authorities" have amazing intel to be able to ascertain a lonely little box-car has a device and arranged for the evac protocols so quickly.

Almost like they have rehearsed this scenario already.

[grabs popcorn]

 

Rehearsed, you say? I guess we will just have to wait for a media spokesperson to go live and say " we were training for this scenario just the other day"
Of course, then, I would start thinking that it is possible, perhaps, that they trained and forgot to remove their little package and just remembered it now so they are not wasting the opportunity.

Either that or this was totally planned to boost our want of more anti-terror protections. Once again, using kids to further an agenda, what (a) sick and twisted mind(s) thinks of these things.

edit on 21-11-2013 by evc1shop because: clarity

Ummmmm......

You guys realize that railroads and local governments (city, county, state) are required to have Emergency Response Plans (ERPs) in place to handle hazardous material incidents, right? As in this looks like it was practiced precisely because it is practiced on a regular basis as required by law.

SWCCFAN
The FBI says the package contained 2 kilos of marijuana. The train Originated in Mexico. So with that said, "Terrorist" could sneak anything in. Customs ... Epic fail!

Yeah, I thought that might be the case. As soon as I saw where the car originated. Runners have even gone so far as to cut compartments into the body of railcars and weld them back up to try to smuggle drugs in. It usually doesn't work because the dogs still smell it.

Montana

evc1shop

Sublimecraft
Almost like they have rehearsed this scenario already.

[grabs popcorn]

 

Rehearsed, you say? I guess we will just have to wait for a media spokesperson to go live and say " we were training for this scenario just the other day"
Of course, then, I would start thinking that it is possible, perhaps, that they trained and forgot to remove their little package and just remembered it now so they are not wasting the opportunity.

Either that or this was totally planned to boost our want of more anti-terror protections. Once again, using kids to further an agenda, what (a) sick and twisted mind(s) thinks of these things.

edit on 21-11-2013 by evc1shop because: clarity

Ummmmm......

You guys realize that railroads and local governments (city, county, state) are required to Emergency Response Plans (ERPs) in place to handle hazardous material incidents, right? As in this looks like it was practiced precisely because it is practiced on a regular basis as required by law.

Yes, I realize that they have plans in place for a lot of things. I wrote some of the software pieces used by the DHS fusion centers so I have a good idea of some things.

I am sure that the hazardous materials safety emergency plans are practiced, especially when you see the amount of rail incidents and nowadays seem to be on an uptick, or there have just been a lot more in a shorter timespan which may even out after a dry spell of them, I don't know yet.

My reason for writing the earlier response was their ability to detect this suspicious package, it is probably drugs and sending a dog or a robotic camera would have been better than evacuating schools and causing undue panic, hence the "never waste a good opportunity" has been exercised.


ETA:
I see in the post above mine that some mj was on board.