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Message
re: Epic Christmas Eve 1989 WAFB 10 PM news broadcast
Posted on 9/26/15 at 12:22 am to The Boat
Posted on 9/26/15 at 12:22 am to The Boat
Was my junior year at LSU. I remember this situation somewhat, but it's pretty vague now.
Agree on the love for Dianne Deaton, though
Agree that George Sells has not aged, and will not. Same for Pat Singelton.
Agree on the love for Dianne Deaton, though
Agree that George Sells has not aged, and will not. Same for Pat Singelton.
0
Posted on 9/26/15 at 12:25 am to The Boat
I found out Santa Claus was fake the next day. Got a sweet remote control monster truck though so it was all good.
Posted on 9/26/15 at 12:28 am to fightin tigers
quote:
I would guess the catalytic converter or simply diesel engine caused the initial spark needed. Mind you, not saying static didn't cause it.
I seem to recall that at one point someone was pushing the theory that as the truck driver pulled up near the loading dock, he honked his horn to get the attention of the workers to unload it, and then the horn set off the chain reaction. Don't recall if the investigators accepted that theory in the final report though.
Posted on 9/26/15 at 12:34 am to The Boat
GOAT
Posted on 9/26/15 at 12:34 am to Kramer26
quote:
cold temps
Like I said, it was below freezing for a record time period in B.R. when that happened--like 80-something straight hours of 32-degrees-or-less. Water pipes were freezing up and bursting all over town. I think that record still stands today.
The final investigation on the explosion(s) did take into account the likelihood that the long term subfreezing weather contributed to it in some capacity, as I recall.
Posted on 9/26/15 at 12:41 am to GetBackToWork
quote:
The mushroom cloud and the smoke trail that followed are things I won't forget.
It really was like a scene out of Red Dawn or something...like the Soviets had finally just decided to drop the A-bomb on Baton Rouge. A lot of people these days deny the existence of the mushroom cloud because none of the witnesses had time to photograph it (in today's world it would have been recorded with cell phone cams and uploaded to YouTube with five minutes after impact
). I certainly would have photographed what I saw if I had a camera handy.
Posted on 9/26/15 at 12:46 am to TheDude321
I was growing up in Pierre Part.
I distinctly remember the windows on the front of the house suddenly rattling violently and the TV clicking for no reason. Freaked me out, especially when my dad said "Either that was a tiny earthquake or something really big blew up somewhere"
A little while later we heard about Exxon.
I distinctly remember the windows on the front of the house suddenly rattling violently and the TV clicking for no reason. Freaked me out, especially when my dad said "Either that was a tiny earthquake or something really big blew up somewhere"
A little while later we heard about Exxon.
Posted on 9/26/15 at 12:48 am to The Boat
I remember hearing the boom that day.
and the mention of Manuel Noriega- blast from the past
and the mention of Manuel Noriega- blast from the past
Posted on 9/26/15 at 1:33 am to The Boat
We were in West Baton Rouge at a family friend's home getting ready for Christmas Eve meal there when Exxon exploded. I remember the mushroom cloud looking towards the city down 190.
It was a huge explosion...especially for being centered in an urban area. A lot of windows were shattered in Baton Rouge and Port Allen.
It was a huge explosion...especially for being centered in an urban area. A lot of windows were shattered in Baton Rouge and Port Allen.
This post was edited on 9/26/15 at 1:35 am
Posted on 9/26/15 at 3:21 am to The Boat
Dalton Hilliard and Eric Martin, my go to guys in Tecmo Super Bowl. And speaking of Nintendo, check out them graphics.
Posted on 9/26/15 at 5:05 am to LuckySo-n-So
quote:
It was also 6 fricking degrees that day.
We had like 3 days where it didn't get over 32 degrees, coldest winter I remember...
We had 2" of snow in NO and the city shut down... Traffic was a cluster...
My parents water pipes busted... The canal from the Davis Landin boat launch to the Pearl rive was frozen over... Lake Pomtchartrain had ice in it...
This post was edited on 9/26/15 at 5:06 am
Posted on 9/26/15 at 5:18 am to Hangover Haven
It had been so cold the LSU lakes were completely frozen over. And thick ice too.
I've got a cool pic somewhere of me standing on the lake near the Baton Rouge beach with the Exxon smoke behind me.
I've got a cool pic somewhere of me standing on the lake near the Baton Rouge beach with the Exxon smoke behind me.
Posted on 9/26/15 at 5:27 am to The Boat
Marsanne Golsby...Our pipes busted too. Not easy finding a plumber on Xmas Eve and a Sunday.
Posted on 9/26/15 at 8:45 am to TheDude321
quote:
The final investigation on the explosion(s) did take into account the likelihood that the long term subfreezing weather contributed to it in some capacity, as I recall.
Thermal expansion was the cause, regardless of what set the vapor cloud off. The colds temps over night gave way to warn morning/afternoon temps, expansion of the vapor inside...boom.
Huge learning experience about blocking in both sides off a pipeline. The pipeline in question was freezing up (if I remember correctly).
Posted on 9/26/15 at 8:59 am to TheDude321
quote:
It really was like a scene out of Red Dawn or something...like the Soviets had finally just decided to drop the A-bomb on Baton Rouge. A lot of people these days deny the existence of the mushroom cloud because none of the witnesses had time to photograph it
I seent it. My childhood friend and I were jumping on ice in the ditches in SE BR near Highland/Airline area in the subdivision. We thought it was a water heater explosion
I just remember it shaking the ground it seemed and then the huge black plume of smoke. And we were 13.5 miles away(geomeasure) as the crow flies!
Posted on 9/26/15 at 9:06 am to rattlebucket
Was a kid living in Monticello and just happened to open the fridge at the time of the explosion. The shelves and their contents all started swaying out of nowhere. I remember thinking WTF. Then, of course, the reports began coming in about the explosion.
Interesting tidbit about George Sells: He appeared as a reporter in Michael Moore's Roger and Me documentary before working for WAFB.
Interesting tidbit about George Sells: He appeared as a reporter in Michael Moore's Roger and Me documentary before working for WAFB.
Posted on 9/26/15 at 9:08 am to fightin tigers
I had stopped by my Dad's house in SBR to get some pipe fittings to restore water service to a lady friend's house that had busted pipes. His house is raised and it shook the whole house. Unbelievably cold-had a house full of Chalmations in-laws staying for the holidays at my stepmom's house in the BR Garden District where I was living and the floor furnace wouldn't work so we all slept in the kitchen and dining room with the oven door open for heat.
And yeah, the guys that are still around get very somber talking about that day. It's never easy losing a coworker, even one you don't know very well.
And yeah, the guys that are still around get very somber talking about that day. It's never easy losing a coworker, even one you don't know very well.
Posted on 9/26/15 at 9:08 am to fightin tigers
I remember the general public's first response was that too many Exxon employees must have taken the day off for Christmas Eve for the plant to be able to function safely. Also, everyone in town was paying attention to the Saints game that was going on when the explosion occurred. It was a very big game because if the Saints won, they would finish the season with a winning record (a VERY rare occurance back then ).
).Posted on 9/26/15 at 9:16 am to TheDude321
I have no memory of Phil Ranier talking about anything other than cancer. Crazy.
This post was edited on 9/26/15 at 9:27 am
Posted on 9/26/15 at 9:20 am to Icansee4miles
quote:
It's never easy losing a coworker
True. Also, a tip of the hat is in order to whoever fought the resulting fire. Must be very tough putting out a fire that size, especially when you consider that they had no idea what dangerous flammable chemicals were on site at the plant just waiting to ignite or explode or poison them with very toxic fumes.
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