Doctors Urge California Residents "Leave Now...While You Can" As Gas Leak Fears Grow
Submitted by Claire Bernish via TheAntiMedia.org,
California Governor Jerry Brown finally declared a state of emergency on Wednesday, concerning the ongoing, currently unstoppable methane gas leak spewing from Aliso Canyon that has created a nightmare for residents of Porter Ranch.
“I will tell you, this goes well beyond Porter Ranch. We’ve had complaints from as far as Chatsworth, Northridge, and Granada Hills,” emphasized Los Angeles City Councilman Mitchell Englander during a Porter Ranch town hall meeting on December 28. “Apparently this plume of toxic chemicals and whatever it might be, doesn’t know zip codes […] This is the equivalent of the BP oil spill on land, in a populated community.”
Aliso Canyon sits less than two and a half miles from Porter Ranch and less than 30 miles from the city of Los Angeles — the second most populous city in the United States — whose outlying total statistical area includes nearly 18 million residents, as of 2013.
Brown has been widely criticized for lack of decisive action on the leak, which is erupting from its underground storage area with all the force “of a volcano.” Under Wednesday’s declaration, “all state agencies will utilize state personnel, equipment, and facilities to ensure a continuous and thorough state response to this incident.”
Porter Ranch residents have been evacuating the area for some time, though SoCalGas’ rather maladroit handling of the relocation procedure has been a nightmare — and the cause for a mounting number of lawsuits, including one from the L.A. city attorney’s office.
Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer filed a civil lawsuit last month concerning the massive methane leak’s impact on area residents’ health and damage to the environment — which alleged failure by SoCalGas to prevent the leak and further exacerbation of “the effects of that failure by allowing acute odor and health problems faced by the community to persist for more than a month, to say nothing about the indefinite time it will persist into the future.”
Pediatrician Dr. Richard Kang gave an ominous warning during the Porter Ranch meeting, saying, “Unfortunately, the only real way to get away from the symptoms is… you have to relocate — you have to get away from the environment.” Health complaints include severe headaches, nosebleeds, respiratory issues including increasing cases of asthma, and a number of other issues.
SoCalGas, in the meantime, stated they were “providing air filters for people’s homes,” but though “the odor added to the leaking gas can cause symptoms for some, the gas is not toxic and county health officials have said the leak does not pose a long-term health risk.”
But, as the Los Angeles Daily News reported on December 25, “Los Angeles County health officials said prolonged exposure to trace chemicals, some of which are known carcinogens, can cause long-term health effects.” Nevertheless, they also “cautioned that levels examined so far here are not believed to be associated with long-term health problems.”
“The gas company says, ‘This is just the smell you’re reacting to, it’s just temporary, it’s not a problem, it’s not serious’ — these people aren’t stupid,” said attorney Rex Paris. “How could somebody possibly say that? We have children whose noses are bleeding every day, we have people who suffer from chronic headaches [and] are nauseous every, single day. How does that not become a serious issue? Why are they saying something nobody here believes? […] They’re trying to convince everybody that it’s all in our heads. It’s a trick.”
In fact, as Erin Brockovich pointed out, “no one really knows the long-term side effects of benzene and radon, the carcinogens that are commonly found in natural gas.”
Additionally, area house pets seem particularly vulnerable — possibly acting the part of unwitting canaries — as veterinarian Dr. David Smith described in the town hall meeting. Noting he has seen dozens of sickened animals, Smith said, “I’ve seen dogs, cats, birds, pocket pets… the primary symptoms I’ve seen are gastrointestinal vomiting […]These are not things you should be inhaling.” He added, “We have seen dermatological issues as well, some very unusual bacterial infections in dogs,” including one case in which a dog had such an infection on its face, and “the client developed almost the exact same kind of symptoms soon after that […] their physician thinks it’s related [to exposure from the gas leak] and so I tend to think these correlations are real.”
Though the declaration of emergency states “the Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources shall continue its prohibition against Southern California Gas Company injecting any gas into the Aliso Canyon Storage Facility,” it does not make that moratorium dependent on stoppage of the leak; rather, only “until a comprehensive review, utilizing independent experts […] is completed.”
Physician Dr. Brooks Michaels, addressing the town hall meeting, gave the sternest advice to those still in the area surrounding the unprecedented leak:
“If you have a chance to leave, if you’re able to leave… if you have a chance to relocate, do it now. I’m telling you, it’s really critical.”
Understandably, Brown’s state of emergency seems almost too little, too late for many.
You can watch the Porter Ranch town hall meeting here:
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If only everyone could be a testicle-licking effeminate aethiest like yourself, all this country's problems would be solved.
You're a special kind of hateful, xenophobic and just plain stupid. Let me guess - VOTE Hillary/Obama/Bernie?
You got the 'atheist' part right. But misspelled it terribly. You most likely only spelled 'you're' correctly because you copy and pasted it from my post.
There is no one to vote for this time around on the grand game show. But I'm sure you'll be hoping Trump 'Saves America'.
What a fucking idiot.
protip: If you're going to try to insult someone, at least spell correctly.
Pro tip for the protip. D'oh.
clearly, you spend a lot of time sucking cock. I am superior to you in every regard. please continue to swallow cum
What's with your gay fetish? You obviously spend a lot of time visualizing and talking about it.
Or is it just that you're ready to come out? Here on the ZH comments section?
We don't judge here at Fight Club. ...at least that used to be the case before all you assholes invaded. Now it's just a bunch of wannabes telling all their redneck friends about this thing called 'Fight Club'.
I'm impressed at what lengths people will go to slam the imginary 'liberal' demographic.
I'm impressed with what a communist douche you are.
This could be God's workings. If we cannot rationalize these events then we must try to invest our hearts, to seek a higher authority.
People, open the good Lord's song book in-front of you Turn to page 321, hymn 44. Let us all sing All My Hope is Found in You. People do not forget your missalette and Barny and Betty will have coffee and donuts in the rectory. Afterwards we can all go for a lovely hike in the canyon and get some fresh air. Peace to all the people...
Could be Allah, you're right.
It's Buddha on Boston Baked Beans.
If this stuff is lighter than the air...some jet passing overhead is going to hit it...and go supersonic..its like it will have afterburners...lol
How are they going to leave? They're packed in there like circuits on a microchip.
Did you know...."MORE DOCTORS SMOKE CAMELS THAN ANY OTHER CIGARETTE!"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCMzjJjuxQI
Let Korea do some underground NUK testing there , that will fix the wholething.
Everyone knows (!) it's bad to build your subdivision over an old Indian graveyard, but this is one of the first times that a company came in an inserted an Indian graveyard under an existing subdivision!
Don't have more gold and silver than you can carry out of your house. Exactly why I converted mostly to Au after Katrina.
The only thing more toxic I can think of, is if that fucking whoring faggot bath house trolling Kenyan monkey fucking went there and started speaking for more than a minute or two
THIS GAS LEAK IS CLEARLY THE FAULT OF ALL THOSE FUCKING LIBERALS IN CALIFORNIA!
All those liberals in cahoots with ISIS and the Syrian refugees...with a sprinkling of "illegal" humans caused this!
LOL at these upvotes. classic
I agree with previous reader - natural gas has been around a long time. There are plenty of situations where peoples' houses got flooded with gas. It's a serious risk for fire and explosions. But it has not caused big health problems. Some of the incidents being filed against the gas company are definitely fakery ... money hungry people.
A lot of readers are asking - why not flare off this gas? Because this leak is not coming up through a pipe. It bypassed the pipes that were drilled. If you flared it - you would have enormous flames coming out of the ground. That is a huge fire risk for California, and the location is near several cities. Flaring is not a good idea. The gas company is working to fix it - but they need to drill through several thousand feet of rock ... it takes time.
by the way - I have no connection with the gas company.
Intentional flair means no insurance coverage. Spontaneous ignition and insurance coverage. My best guess as to why they are not flairing.
I love kommiefornians. The most important part of any ecological disaster to them is making sure the lawsuits get filed.
How's life out there in Oklahoma, Cleatus? Had your sister yet today? Or did whiskey dick get the better of you again?
I think he just had jomama.
That's pretty disgusting, but good for him I guess
What the fuck are you blathering about?
You must be stoopid.
Go drink Drano.
The hidden power structure seemingly really, really, really wants people to leave California.
1. Fukishima radiation on the shores
2. Multi-year drought
3. Gas leak and subsequent medical recommendations
4. The least resident-friendly government imaginable
It is hard to guarantee that any of that was not artificially created.
Will someone out there get into their Cessna, fly over this gashole, throw down a torch, AND BLOW THIS STATE TO KINGDOM COME
Just one firework.
i moved too the mountains last year... bring on the tidal waves
"...no one really knows the side effects of benzene and radon the carcingoens that are commonly found in natural gas." This is what Ms. Brockovich pointed out. But, the ugly truth is that sickness, cancers and death are the side effects!
Do you dispute this? Then you go breathe it in or put your children in that deadly cloud.
NO! NO! Stay away! Out! Do not breathe those vapors! Save yourselves and your children!
The society that sacfices their children for the bottom line of any corporation is set for failure!
Somebody must monitor the cloud for radiation. What is in it?!
We must blow up the well so we can see what is in it.
This is going to be a GREAT opportunity for Enviro-Watermelon fear-mongering and community organizer and political money extortion
How can I get some?
The smell shouldn't bother them that bad, half of California smells like shit anyway.
What will happen if someone lights it?
WARNING: This government contains idiots known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm.
THis is the same as the Japanese nuke accident,TEPCO kept claiming they had things under control until the Japanese national government had to step in, smae here, SoCal gas claims they have a handle on things until they are forced to tell the truth and the gummint takes over. Sell SoCal gas they're headed to BK on this baby
Agenda 21 .:. Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform
Falsehood will end up with a gun shot to the head. They think the overturning of US Constitution will breakdown new laws under the United Nations Global laws. Not a fat chance.
Of course he didn't act. He was waiting to see if it might affect Beverly Hills.
One more time---our masters never react to a real environmental disaster (as opposed to the ones they invent) until there's a real risk it might inconvenience them personally.
Blown out of all proportion.
Shills for the tribe lawyer cartel, I live in the neighborhood, living near a freeway or port of LA is much much worse.
Notice the total lack of scientific pollution data, truth is it floats up and away into the upper atmosphere.
I was in the area yesterday and could not hear it. I expected a high pressure leak to be much louder? \\https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPNkQhaWNCQ
The volumes claimed dont seem to match the video either. Maybe its just me but the measure of pounds of gas would be for a liquid and gas is measured in cubic feet. One pound of liquid makes alots of cubic feet. That leak dont match the numbers. Just my 2 cents.
Shove a gun into their mouth. Watch them talk like a nightingale.
http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/
WWJDD (What would Joe Dirt do)
https://youtu.be/nUWkUDX81PY
What if this is a trick to buy up land cheaply?
Please stay put Californians! One state screwed up is bad enough,,, we don't need the other 56 states screwed up too.
If you just have to leave, go SOUTH!
Um... HELLO?! Light the plume and let it burn. There's a hole called Darvaza Crater in Turkmenistan thats been burning for 40+ years. Better than letting raw methane go into the atmosphere.
Where is Red Adair when you need him?
Does anyone remember Red Adair.?
John Wayne made a movie based on his life.
Called "Hellfighters". He specialized in Oil/NatGas blowouts.