Inside The Brutal Clean-up Efforts in Lac-Megantic -- Christine Pelisek, Daily Beast
In train-wrecked Lac-Megantic, basements are flooded with six feet of fuel—and above ground, it’s still too hot for rescue workers to last more than 15 minutes. Christine Pelisek reports.
Nine days after a train derailment and explosion gutted the heart of the Eastern Quebec town of Lac-Megantic, police and firefighter crews are working non-stop under brutal conditions as they continue to hunt for bodies. So far, they have recovered 37 victims of the 50 people who went missing on July 6. Thirteen are still unaccounted for.
“There are still cars filled with gasoline,” said Sûreté du Québec Sgt. Michel Brunet about the hazardous scene. “There are still 10 to 15 buildings that have six feet of fuel in the basement. We have to empty all of them to see if there are any bodies in there.”
Over 60 firefighter and law enforcement agencies across Canada and the U.S. are aiding in the search of the so-called Red Zone, which was once a thriving block of restaurants and businesses that included the Musi-Café, a library, a real estate office, a funeral parlor, and picturesque clapboard cottages and homes, but recovery efforts have been hampered by the toxic fumes, contaminated soil and volatile chemicals.
Read more ....
Update: First glimpse at Canada disaster site shows scale of devastation -- Reuters
My Comment: Regular readers of this blog know that I live in Montreal, but our family also has a small farm/vineyard that is in the Eastern Townships and it is about 60 miles from Lac Megantic. This weekend I will be visiting some friends who live a few milers outside of the town of Lac-Megantic .... I will be posting observations and comments after my visit.
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