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Lessons Learned from the 9/16/2011 BNSF South Rail Yard Incident in Amarillo, Texas. Photo by Karla Weatherly. Amarillo Demographics. City of Amarillo: Population: 190,695 Downtown Business District: ~20,000 General Demographics… regional hub for: Banking Health & Medical Education - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Lessons Learned from the 9/16/2011
BNSF South Rail Yard Incident in
Amarillo, Texas
Photo by Karla Weatherly
Amarillo Demographics
• City of Amarillo:– Population: 190,695– Downtown Business District: ~20,000
• General Demographics… regional hub for:– Banking– Health & Medical– Education– Transportation– Agriculture
HAZMATTransportation:
Highways,Railroads, Pipelines
HAZMATFixed Facilities:
225 Tier II Facilities17 RMP Facilities
Hazardous Materials: Potter & Randall Counties, Texas
El Paso Natural Gas Pipeline Explosion - Bushland
Diesel Tanker Rollover
BNSF Operations in Amarillo• Two Major Rail Yard Operations:– North Yard (previous Burlington Northern Yard)– South Yard (previous Santa Fe Yard)– 800-1,300 Railcars in yards at any given time
• Mainline Tracks Through Amarillo:– Servicing North/South & East/West Rail Traffic– 60-120 Trains Daily– Average of 80-100 Railcars per Train
• Significant Transport ofHazardous Materials:– Average of 75 inhalation
hazard railcars throughAmarillo weekly.
Santa Fe Railroad: Amarillo Yard, circa 1943
September 16, 2011…At approximately 11:27 a.m., an incident occurred in the BNSF South Rail Yard that resulted in a tanker car loaded with Isopentane (UN1265) conflagrating.
View from Bank One Building, Downtown
View from Head Start School/Day Care
View from I-40/I-27 Interchange
Photo by Wes ReevesPhoto by Wrustler Weston
Photo by Karla Weatherly
Major Impacts & Response• 3 BNSF workers suffered
smoke inhalation with two transported to local hospital
• Damaged/destroyed 28 rail cars and caused significant damage to the tracks (estimated $1.5 million)
• Ceased rail yard operations for ~12 hours (south yard)
• Evacuation of ¼ mile in all directions with ½ mile shelter-in-place downwind
• Expanded unified command established between AFD/APD with BNSF representatives
• EOC activated to provide coordination with State and Federal agency representatives
Isopentane RailcarConcrete Hopper Car
BNSF South Railyard… 09/16/2011
Sodium Hydroxide Railcar
Molton Sulfur Railcars
Photo by Michael Norris / Amarillo Globe-News
Incident Impacts:• BNSF Rail Yard• Industrial Area• Residential Area• Maverick Club• Head Start School• Interstate-40• COA Service Center • AECC/EOC• City Hall• Civic Center• Potentially 20,000 People
ERG Isolation Zone (yellow circle)Railcar Involved in Fire:• Isopentane: ERG 128 ½ Mile• Sulfur (Molten): ERG 133 ½ Mile
Incident Geography
Lessons Learned• Emergency Response Delays/Confusion– Public Calls to 9-1-1 Varied Widely– Difficult/Limited Access to Incident Scene– Delays in Unifying Command
• BNSF Coordination Improvements:– Planning Coordination Out-of-Date– Contact Information Out-of-Date– BNSF Assembly Points Not Communicated
• NWS Plume Model Sharing• Public Protective Actions– Potential Impacts on Critical Infrastructure– Communication to Public/Internal Organization
• Emergency Public Information
Improvement Plans• Improve BNSF Coordination:
– Emergency Plans & Contact Information Updated (annual review incorporated into exercise program)
– BNSF Assembly Points Simplified & Mapped Out– Invited to Join Potter & Randall LEPC (listed in BNSF Plan)
• Exercise & Training Program:– Schedule Annual Tabletop Exercise (February)– Conduct Periodic Railcar Training (first offering in March 2012 with
100 participants)• Enhancements to Information Tools:
– Improved Coordination & Information Sharing with NWS (specifically use of the HySplit plume model)
• Enhanced Public Notification Tools:– NIXLE and Resolve to Be Ready
OEMAMARILLO/POTTER/RANDALL
OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
http://oem.amarillo.gov/(806) 378-3004