More than 600 people packed a Garden Grove hotel ballroom Oct. 27 for GKN Aerospace's first public meeting since a chemical tank crisis forced roughly 50,000 Orange County residents from their homes in May.
The crowd filled the Delta Hotels ballroom, with several dozen people left standing along the walls, the Orange County Register reported. Attendees pressed company representatives on a new $100 million claims program and voiced safety concerns about the facility's return to full production.
The meeting came nearly five months after a GKN representative first publicly promised the event in early June, according to the Register.
What happened in May
On May 21, an overheating tank holding 7,000 gallons of methyl methacrylate, or MMA, a flammable liquid used to manufacture plastics, threatened a massive explosion at GKN's Garden Grove plant on Western Avenue. The six-day crisis was probably caused by a cooling system failure, interim Orange County Fire Authority Chief TJ McGovern said, as the Los Angeles Times reported.
Evacuation orders spanned parts of Anaheim, Cypress, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Stanton and Westminster. Crews sprayed more than 9 million gallons of water onto the tank before all evacuation orders were lifted May 26.
Claims program and settlement
GKN Aerospace Senior Vice President Steve Carlin addressed the crowd Oct. 27. "We are committed to making things right by you and the community," Carlin said, according to the Register. "We also understand that some of you have concerns about what we'll do going forward."
The voluntary claims program, which opened for submissions the same day, targets residents and businesses that suffered losses during the May evacuations. People who lived within the mandatory evacuation zone can seek reimbursement for expenses including lost wages, meals, transportation and hotel stays, the Register reported.
Among the amounts offered: up to $300 per night per household for hotel stays, up to $500 per day in documented lost wages for hourly workers, and up to $5,000 per day in documented lost profits for businesses forced to close.
The claims program is part of a broader $125 million settlement between Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer and GKN Aerospace, Voice of OC reported. Beyond the $100 million for claims, GKN will pay about $8.5 million for emergency response costs and $15 million in civil penalties.
Safety measures
GKN Vice President Sherri Murrish told the crowd the company would restart operations only after meeting court-ordered safety requirements. "We know that rebuilding your trust will take time," Murrish said, according to the Register.
Company representatives said upgrades include new equipment to monitor and regulate MMA storage tank temperatures. An independent auditor will check the facility's compliance with safety standards annually for seven years, GKN executives said at the meeting.
Community members and local coalitions have attended nearly every Garden Grove City Council meeting since May to call for enhanced safety, reduced MMA use and, in some cases, a full shutdown of the plant, the Register reported.
One business owner's experience
Kevin Nguyen, 55, owns Xiem Tools, a ceramics and pottery tools company that employs eight people just yards from the GKN facility. His company was closed for four days during the evacuation. Nguyen told the Register he attended the meeting to decide whether to pursue litigation or the claims program but left unsure because of questions about employee reimbursement.
An in-person claims assistance location is set to open Nov. 9, company representatives said. Evacuated residents and businesses can visit GKNGGClaimsProgram.com to check eligibility and submit claims.
