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Started By
Message
27 yrs. ago today, I saw a chemical plant explode.
Posted on 5/1/18 at 7:56 pm
Posted on 5/1/18 at 7:56 pm
05/01/1991
9th grade 5th hour general business class.
Ms. Natt was telling us 5 or 6 guys sitting in the window sill to take a seat.
The girls were already sitting up front. (yes our class only had maybe a dozen kids.)
Right when we stood up and took one step, the earth shook the lights went out, the broken window glass and the brick walls blew across the classroom knocking all of us face first into the ground.
We went outside as if it was any other drill but knew something was different.
Some teachers and kids bleeding, everyone crying, and confused. The black mushroom of smoke made me think we had been bombed because my brother had just been deployed to the Middle East for Operation Freedom.
Officials evacuated everyone.
8 dead at the chemical plant, hundreds injured.
Structural damage widespread, my dad and I went to the elementary school with some of the police officers and a handful of firefighters and found elementary kids hiding in bathrooms and closets. We had to make sure everyone was accounted for, after all we were all family in the small town of Sterlington.
If you were there, or heard it it's something you will never forget.
This post was edited on 5/1/18 at 10:15 pm
27
Posted on 5/1/18 at 8:02 pm to heypaul
quote:
05/01/1991
I remember that day like it was yesterday. Nolan Ryan pitched his seventh and final no-hitter.
Posted on 5/1/18 at 8:02 pm to heypaul
Posted on 5/1/18 at 8:04 pm to heypaul
I lived on Evangeline St. when Exxon exploded on Christmas Eve, late 80's. It blew some of our neighbor's windows out. I remember hearing you could see the smoke almost to New Orleans.
Posted on 5/1/18 at 8:06 pm to TigerstuckinMS
quote:
remember that day like it was yesterday. Nolan Ryan pitched his seventh and final no-hitter.
And Rickey Henderson broke the stolen base record, I remember watching the news and that's the only two things they showed
Posted on 5/1/18 at 8:06 pm to liz18lsu
WAFB 1989 news
This post was edited on 5/1/18 at 8:12 pm
Posted on 5/1/18 at 8:07 pm to heypaul
Why is this a big deal? I blew the roof off of my bathroom this morning with my morning shite. Looks about the same as your pic.
Posted on 5/1/18 at 8:12 pm to liz18lsu
quote:
I lived on Evangeline St. when Exxon exploded on Christmas Eve, late 80's. It blew some of our neighbor's windows out. I remember hearing you could see the smoke almost to New Orleans.
I was on the opposite side of town (Perkins/Seigen area) and it rattled the windows and pictures on my bedroom wall. l’m surprised only one person was killed by that.
I never heard about this one in Sterlington. Very sad and I’m sure very traumatic.
Posted on 5/1/18 at 8:15 pm to heypaul
I believe my little cousin was in jr high there at the time. Some people said they heard it here in Rayville. I didn't, but I was in school at the time. They may have been outside
Posted on 5/1/18 at 8:16 pm to liz18lsu
I clearly remember the Exxon explosion. I was 9 or 10 I believe and had just gotten a slingshot as a Christmas gift from someone. My step dad worked for Exxon and was off that day. He was originally scheduled to work but ended up getting the day off. We lived outside of Clinton at the time, in Bluff Creek, over 40 miles away. We had a light freeze overnight and I was outside with my slingshot shooting rocks at a frozen water puddle to see if I could break it. Out of nowhere I heard what I thought was thunder and could feel the ground shake. It struck me really odd because it wasn't cloudy outside. I went inside after a few minutes and into my bedroom. I turned on the radio and the people talking were frantic and clearly shaken while talking about a major explosion at the Exxon refinery. I ran and told my mom what they were saying on the radio. She and my stepdad came into my room to listen to what I was talking about. The look of fear on their faces at that moment is something I'll never forget.
Posted on 5/1/18 at 8:19 pm to heypaul
I was sandbagging a house right off 165 across from Brookshires. I could hear the explosion there and that was 10 miles away.
Posted on 5/1/18 at 8:27 pm to liz18lsu
quote:
I lived on Evangeline St. when Exxon exploded on Christmas Eve, late 80's. It blew some of our neighbor's windows out. I remember hearing you could see the smoke almost to New Orleans.
I lived off Sherwood Forest and my father was a research chemist for Exxon at the time. It didn't blow in windows but would have awakened the dead. I remember we went outside and saw a pale yellow cloud rising from Exxon and my dad was seriously pondering whether to drive everyone away and spend a few nights somewhere else.
He was worried that a high pressure plastics reactor had blown. Apparently that would be like a small nuke going off.
Posted on 5/1/18 at 8:28 pm to heypaul
quote:
We went outside as if it was any other drill but knew something was different.
No shite?
Posted on 5/1/18 at 8:32 pm to pickle311
XMas 89, I would have been 8. We lived between Plank and Foster, about 2.5 miles away I guess.
Posted on 5/1/18 at 8:33 pm to liz18lsu
quote:I didn't know you are black
We lived between Plank and Foster
Posted on 5/1/18 at 8:34 pm to heypaul
I’m glad someone else linked the story, Bc OP is useless. And then I had to google Sterlington Bc where the frick is Sterlington. You’re better than this, OP.
Posted on 5/1/18 at 8:35 pm to heypaul
It’s amazing the sound could break windows but didn’t break your eardrums.
Posted on 5/1/18 at 8:36 pm to heypaul
quote:And I remember Rickey bitched that Ryan got more attention than he did, and implied it was b/c of racismquote:And Rickey Henderson broke the stolen base record, I remember watching the news and that's the only two things they showed
I remember that day like it was yesterday. Nolan Ryan pitched his seventh and final no-hitter
Posted on 5/1/18 at 8:37 pm to heypaul
Doesn't have shite on the Texas City explosion. It ripped the wings off an airplane flying overhead.
Posted on 5/1/18 at 8:38 pm to Rouge
It was blue collar white when my dad bought in '83. We took flight in '96. Pretty sure my parents sold the 2 story house for less than they bought it for. Very white. *curtsey*
ETA - lsunurse grew up in the same used-to-be-nice-now-hood.
arse
ETA - lsunurse grew up in the same used-to-be-nice-now-hood.
arse
This post was edited on 5/1/18 at 8:40 pm
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