California lawmakers have intensified pressure on the federal government over the ongoing toxic chemical emergency at the GKN Aerospace facility in Garden Grove. Congressman Derek Tran and Senators Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla formally urged President Donald Trump to approve a federal emergency declaration.
Last week, a tank containing MMA began to undergo a spike in temperature, which sparked the problem in the GKN Aerospace facility in Garden Grove.
The tank started to swell at one point, and “it got to a point where it does what we call a BLEVE, which is a ‘boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion,'” Covey said on Friday afternoon.
Evacuation orders were issued for areas north of Garden Grove Boulevard, east of Springdale Avenue, west of Dale Street, and south of Orangewood Avenue.
The Los Angeles Times reported that four shelters that have been set up to help with the evacuation at Huntington Beach, La Palma, Anaheim, and Fountain Valley are all full now.
Read more: Garden Grove chemical incident update: Fire official admits ‘we did put people in harm’s way’ as evacuations continue
Call for a federal emergency
Gov. Gavin Newsom and three federal legislators have urged the Trump administration to declare the chemical incident in Garden Grove a disaster.
US Representative Derek Tran (D-Orange) signed a letter with Senators Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla urging that the federal government give additional resources in response to the event, which entered its fourth day on Sunday. Tran shared a copy of the letter on X.
In a letter addressed to Trump, the lawmakers said the “Western Incident” at the aerospace facility remained unresolved and posed “an imminent threat of a toxic chemical leakage or explosion.”
The letter stated that approximately 40,000 residents and numerous businesses had already been impacted by evacuations triggered by the incident’s “extreme flammability and acute risks to public health.” The lawmakers requested expedited federal assistance and protective measures for Orange County communities.
Read more: Stanton evacuation update: Orange County orders reissued after Garden Grove chemical leak
“The severity of this disaster requires additional coordination”
“The severity of this disaster requires additional coordination and federal support. Therefore, we urge you to expeditiously approve California’s request for an Emergency Declaration and to provide emergency protective measures and direct federal assistance under the public assistance program for Orange County
According to a news release from Newsom, the declaration would enable the federal government to assist state and local governments with emergency protection measures through the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
“California doesn’t wait for disaster to unfold; we act early to protect lives and communities,” Newsom said.
He continued, “Working together with our local and federal partners, we’re strengthening our ability to respond quickly and effectively in Garden Grove and across the surrounding communities and ensuring that first responders have the resources they need to keep people safe.”
