Second Evacuation in the Twin Ports in 26 Years

how yesterday's refinery explosion compares to the benzene spill of 1992

DULUTH, Minn.- Back in 1992, several rail cars went off a bridge and in to the Nemadji river south of Superior. The chemicals from the event created a large, expanding cloud moving over Lake Superior. Sound familiar?

I spoke with Duluth police chief at the time, Scott Lyons, to see how yesterdays refinery explosion compared to that of twenty six years ago.

“I parallel yesterday as i watched things unfolding and watched how everyone pulls together. Whats really cool about Duluth, Superior, this whole region, when something bad happens everyone jumps in and that’s what we do and we do it quite well” said Lyons.

So whether it is 2018 or 1992, the  former chief tells us that the protocol in these situations has remained the same, but the communication is a lot better with the use of live social media to constantly update the public, so he is happy with how everything was handled yesterday.

The retired official also says the one issue that they have yet to find a solid solution for is what to do with elderly people in assisted living homes who are physically unable to help themselves in such a situation. That was a problem yesterday and a problem back in ’92. He says it is up to those facilities to come up with a plan and make that plan work.