Lack of Communications After Toxic Leak

Officials in Pasadena (Tex.) are upset that dispatchers weren’t notified after a large cloud of nitric oxide began drifting away from a chemical plant and across Hwy. 225, affecting several motorists and nearby residents. Logging tapes released by the city show that police officers first noticed the brownish cloud coming from the plant, and that dispatchers tried to telephone the plant (voicemail only) and an emergency notification service (hadn’t been called by the plant). Consequently, the dispatchers were unable to to verify the leak, obtain advice on evacuations or even the nature of the chemical. About 20 minutes later a plant manager called, but was remarkably uninformative when the dispatcher asked him questions. During one call a plant employee said it was a “Level 1″ situation, but after the dispatcher asked several questions, admitted it was a Level 3 requiring a shelter-in-place. Read more about the incident here.