They are not fracking up there, are they?
"W.Va. chemical spill taints water, threatens residents" by Jonathan Mattise and Brendan Farrington | Associated Press, January 11, 2014
CHARLESTON, W.Va.— A chemical spill left the water for 300,000 people in and around West Virginia’s capital city stained blue-green and smelling like licorice, with officials saying Friday it was unclear when it might be safe again for even mundane activities like showers and laundry.
This in the dead of winter and a cold spell!
Federal official began investigating how the foaming agent escaped a chemical plant and seeped into the Elk River. Just how much of the chemical leaked was not yet known.
Officials were working with the firm that makes the chemical to determine how much can be in the water without it posing harm to residents, said Jeff McIntyre, president of West Virginia American Water.
‘‘We don’t know that the water’s not safe. But I can’t say that it is safe,’’ McIntyre said Friday.
Oh, that's a real help!
For now, there is no way to treat the tainted water aside from flushing the system until it’s in low enough concentrations to be safe, a process that could take days.
Officials and experts said the chemical, even in its most concentrated form, is not deadly. However, people across nine counties were told not to so much as wash clothes in water affected, as the compound can cause symptoms ranging from skin irritation and rashes to vomiting and diarrhea.
No more than six people have been brought into emergency rooms with symptoms that may stem from the chemical; none were in serious or critical condition, said Karen Bowling secretary of the state Department of Health & Human Resources.
The spill brought West Virginia’s most populous city and nearby areas to a virtual standstill, closing schools, offices, and even forcing the Legislature to close for the day. Officials focused on getting water to people who needed it.
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Related: Louisiana Has Water on the Brain
Government says it is safe so…. use it to put out the fire:
"Explosion levels Ala. apartment building, killing one" Associated Press, December 18, 2013
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — A predawn explosion shattered a two-story Birmingham apartment building Tuesday as residents slept, trapping an engaged couple in bed as bricks and concrete rained down on them.
After more than four hours of delicate work, firefighters freed the man, using large jacks to lift a concrete slab that had collapsed. But his fiancee was burned badly and died before rescuers could reach her, officials said.
The man was hospitalized in critical but stable condition with numerous injuries. Neither his name nor his fiancee’s were immediately released.
Five children and two adults also were hurt, officials said, but none of the injuries was life-threatening. Survivors crawled through fire and debris to get to the street to safety.
Fire officials said they suspected natural gas was behind the blast, but the cause was still under investigation.
Another byproduct of corporate profit-grabbing and neglected infrastructure.
Also see: Explosive Indiana Post
Firefighters were called about 3:45 a.m. Tuesday after a fireball erupted at Gate City Apartments, a few miles from downtown Birmingham. Photos taken by residents showed flames that turned the night sky bright orange.
The blast leveled about half the building….
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As long as there are no sparks you are okay:
"A retired police officer armed with an assault weapon and a handgun fired up to two dozen rounds at a US courthouse in West Virginia on Wednesday before police returned fire and killed him, police said."
