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foshizzle 
LSU Fan
Member since Mar 2008
25135 posts
| re: The great Exxon Christmas eve explosion of 89 (Posted on 10/10/12 at 9:59 am to SmackDaniels)
quote:
In Cental. My mom came running threw the house
There are only trailers there, and your mom must have been really strong to throw one.
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Alt26
LSU Fan
Member since Mar 2010
1432 posts
| re: The great Exxon Christmas eve explosion of 89 (Posted on 10/10/12 at 9:59 am to meauxjeaux2)
At home across the river playing in the living room, avoiding getting dressed for Christmas Eve Mass that evening. Mom was yelling at me. Pretty sure I remember the Detroit Lions were playing on TV at the time.
It scared the hell out of all of us! I remember crossing the bridge to go to mass in downtown BR and just looking at the huge black cloud of smoke at Exxon. Very somber Christmas Eve mass.
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lsu480 
Arizona State Fan
1488 posts
Member since Oct 2007
48060 posts
| re: The great Exxon Christmas eve explosion of 89 (Posted on 10/10/12 at 10:00 am to meauxjeaux2)
I had never heard of this so I googled it and I found this in a New York Times article:
"Windows up to six miles away were shattered, and looters attacked damaged businesses in a nearby low-income neighborhood, the police said. Gov. Buddy Roemer called up 50 National Guardsmen to help the police stop the looting"
BRCIOOC
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MBclass83
LSU Fan
Baton Rouge
Member since Oct 2010
795 posts
| re: The great Exxon Christmas eve explosion of 89 (Posted on 10/10/12 at 10:02 am to meauxjeaux2)
I was in my new house on Millerville. When it happened I ran out of my house because I thought the roof had exploded off. 
Scared the crap out of me.
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Topwater Trout
LSU Fan
Red Stick
Member since Oct 2010
24787 posts
| re: The great Exxon Christmas eve explosion of 89 (Posted on 10/10/12 at 10:03 am to lsu480)
quote:
and looters attacked damaged businesses in a nearby low-income neighborhood,
Pretty sure it was just an average day in the hood.
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theantiquetiger
LSU Fan
Dutchtown
Member since Feb 2005
4811 posts
| re: The great Exxon Christmas eve explosion of 89 (Posted on 10/10/12 at 10:05 am to meauxjeaux2)
I was in the shower at the time, so I never heard it. My national guard unit was activated for guard duty, I never went. I rode around that night looking at all the damage.
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TDswah 
New Orleans Saints Fan
LA
Member since Apr 2012
417 posts
| re: The great Exxon Christmas eve explosion of 89 (Posted on 10/10/12 at 10:06 am to toosleaux)
My mom and I were at the grocery store on Greenwell Springs Rd and when the ground shook, we walked outside. My mom saw the smoke and knew it was Exxon.
My dad and brother worked out there at the time and we rushed home to get in touch with them. We couldn't get through to them. We had to wait till they called us back.
I remember my brother telling me that a guy had driven a truck over a leaky pipeline and the vibrations from the truck caused the explosion.
I'll never forget the feeling of the ground shaking. Never have felt anything close to it since.
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mrservon
LSU Fan
Baton Rouge
Member since Aug 2007
133 posts
| re: The great Exxon Christmas eve explosion of 89 (Posted on 10/10/12 at 10:06 am to guttata)
quote:
In Iberville Terrace
damn, me too. i was only about 7 though. i'll never forget i was standing on a chair trying to take a sneak peak at my christmas presents (and nervous as hell that someone was gonna catch me) at the top of my parents closet. that thing blew up and scared the shite outta me. i fell off the chair in to the clothes. i thought i was busted. walked outside and everyone was out in their yards. so, no, i will never forget that.
guttata - good call on iberville terrace. havent been through there in a minute. live in houston now
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hedgehog
LSU Fan
Prairieville
Member since Oct 2006
1069 posts
| re: The great Exxon Christmas eve explosion of 89 (Posted on 10/10/12 at 10:07 am to meauxjeaux2)
I was hustling buggies at the Real Superstore on Greenweel Springs Road. All the lights went out and customers started grabbing candy to stuff in their pockets. My first encounter with looting.
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LSUBoo 
Bowling Green Fan
My Posting Goes To 11.
Member since Mar 2006
54446 posts
| re: The great Exxon Christmas eve explosion of 89 (Posted on 10/10/12 at 10:07 am to meauxjeaux2)
I was in Cortana Mall... some old diner they used to have there.
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junkfunky
LSU Fan
I can't find my village
Member since Jan 2011
9830 posts
| re: The great Exxon Christmas eve explosion of 89 (Posted on 10/10/12 at 10:10 am to meauxjeaux2)
Felt it close to Killian on the Tickfaw. We were on the 2nd floor of our camp so it felt a lot worse than it was.
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mpar98
LSU Fan
Baton Rouge
Member since Jan 2006
3732 posts
| re: The great Exxon Christmas eve explosion of 89 (Posted on 10/10/12 at 10:11 am to junkfunky)
Ive heard this story...as soon as it shook the house my father in law said "that was my unit" and hauled arse to work
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lsu480
Arizona State Fan
1488 posts
Member since Oct 2007
48060 posts
| re: The great Exxon Christmas eve explosion of 89 (Posted on 10/10/12 at 10:14 am to theantiquetiger)
quote:
I was in the shower at the time, so I never heard it. My national guard unit was activated for guard duty, I never went. I rode around that night looking at all the damage.
The article also said only one person died which is crazy considering all of the damage!
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LSUBoo
Bowling Green Fan
My Posting Goes To 11.
Member since Mar 2006
54446 posts
| re: The great Exxon Christmas eve explosion of 89 (Posted on 10/10/12 at 10:15 am to lsu480)
quote:
The article also said only one person died which is crazy considering all of the damage!
It probably would have been a lot more if it had been a normal work day and not Christmas Eve. They were working a skeleton crew I'm sure.
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lsufan112001 
Southeastern LA Fan
sportsmans paradise
Member since Oct 2006
5078 posts
| re: The great Exxon Christmas eve explosion of 89 (Posted on 10/10/12 at 10:22 am to meauxjeaux2)
From what i was told, there was a big leak and everyone was evacuated. A guy rolls up in a rig and kills the truck after not seeing anyone. He then gets in the tryck and tyrns the key, that was the ignitor. He was the one that died.
Second hand info...
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LSUDAN1
LSU Fan
Member since Oct 2010
561 posts
| re: The great Exxon Christmas eve explosion of 89 (Posted on 10/10/12 at 10:23 am to meauxjeaux2)
At home in Central and it shook the hell out of the house. My Dad, Exxon Employee at the time, said it was either an electrical transformer in the back of our subdivision or Exxon. I told him he was nuts but sure enough it was Exxon. He was on fire fighting crew and was on call to go help if necessary. He never got the call.
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AlxTgr
LSU Fan
Kyre Banorg
Member since Oct 2003
27845 posts
| re: The great Exxon Christmas eve explosion of 89 (Posted on 10/10/12 at 10:32 am to meauxjeaux2)
Not sure where I was when it happened, but I saw the smoke plume as I was walking up to Bon Marche mall to play RBI baseball.
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Fight4LSU
LSU Fan
Metairie, La.
Member since Jul 2005
5505 posts
| re: The great Exxon Christmas eve explosion of 89 (Posted on 10/10/12 at 10:35 am to meauxjeaux2)
I remember this clearly. I was in Plaquemine, 9 years old. Dad was taking a nap. Mom was cooking Christmas dinner. I was sitting on a high stool in the kitchen. Blast knocked me off the stool. My dad came running in the living room and said he thought a vehicle may have jumped the curve and hit the house.
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nicklsu
LSU Fan
Cincinnati
Member since Dec 2003
561 posts
| re: The great Exxon Christmas eve explosion of 89 (Posted on 10/10/12 at 10:43 am to meauxjeaux2)
Lived off O'neal Ln. at the time. I was 16 and had a habit of slamming the front door when I left the house. I had just walked in the house and it began to shake. My mom started yelling at me and my dad stepped in and said there was no way a door slamming would shake the whole house .
Went outside and within minutes we could see the smoke rising. A couple of neighbors who worked at Exxon were soon on their way out there. I remember it being pretty damn cold that Christmas too.
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madamsquirrel
LSU Fan
The Snarlington Estate
Member since Jul 2009
17585 posts
| re: The great Exxon Christmas eve explosion of 89 (Posted on 10/10/12 at 10:45 am to toosleaux)
quote:
At my boyfriend's house in Central, his dad was an operator at the time at Exxon but was off. Um it sounded like an explosion miles away.
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