the nutmeg grater: i heard about this by cnn flashing a breaking news alert

Monday, February 08, 2010

i heard about this by cnn flashing a breaking news alert

on my itouch (i was in a place with wi fi). the first thing i did was call my boss to make sure his family was ok (it was). we put on one of the tvs to wtnh (channel 8) and just watched silently. how devestating and i am so very sorry for the loss of lives and the injuries.

Five dead in Middletown explosion
Five people were killed, and at least a dozen injured Sunday in an explosion at the Kleen Energy power plant under construction in Middletown, Connecticut. Authorities continue searching for anyone who may be trapped in rubble.

At an evening news conference, held at Woodrow Wilson Middle School in Middletown, Mayor Sebastian Giuliano confirmed the number of fatalities. He said it was unclear exactly how many people were working at the site Sunday but that they are working to compile an exact number.

Mayor Giuliano said they have to get lists from multiple contractors who are working on the plant.

"We're just trying to get a count of the persons involved," Lt. Governor Michael Fedele said.

One of the confirmed deceased, Ray Dobratz, 58, of Old Saybrook, was a plumber and member of the Plumbers and Pipefitters Union Local 777. ...........

Middletown Power Plant Explosion: Search Goes Through The Night For More Victims
By EDMUND MAHONY, ERIC GERSHON and DANIELA ALTIMARI The Hartford Courant
MIDDLETOWN — - A devastating explosion that was heard and felt for miles destroyed a power plant Sunday morning as workers purged a natural gas piping system, killing at least five and injuring many more, emergency response officers said.

Homeowners miles away said the explosion, reported shortly after 11 a.m. at the Kleen Energy Systems power plant under construction on River Road, created a shock wave so intense that some mistakenly thought the central part of the state had experienced an earthquake.

A team of investigators from the federal government's Chemical Safety Board, charged with investigating industrial chemical accidents, was scheduled to arrive at the plant today. A board spokesman said the team will look for the cause of the explosion, with particular emphasis on the procedure used at the Kleen Energy plant to purge, or clear, the gas piping system.........

pic: Aerial Photo Of The Middletown Power Plant Explosion (BETTINA HANSEN / HARTFORD COURANT)

At Least 5 Dead In Middletown Explosion
Shoreline Residents Report Feeling Shaking From Explosion

MIDDLETOWN, Conn. -- An explosion at the Kleen Energy plant on River Road in Middletown on Sunday morning destroyed much of the plant, killing at least five people and injured at least 12.At a press conference on Sunday evening, Middletown Mayor Sebastian Giuliano stressed there was no threat to public safety and officials had ruled out the possibility of a terrorist attack. Giuliano said five to seven fire crews remained on scene, as well as the urban search and rescue team looking for people who may be trapped under the rubble. He said it was difficult to say how many people were in the plant at the time of the explosion because many different contractors were working with their own employee lists.On Sunday, Gov. Jodi Rell activated the Emergency Operations Center. The Emergency Operations Center in Hartford was being staffed by the state Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, the Department of Public Health, the National Guard and Connecticut State Police.............