In Medfield I think we lost power for less than an hour today, but it was a reminder that reallly bad weather (even in '78 we didn't lose power, but remember that Quebec ice storm???)normal communications might be disrupted, and we'd be on our own.
Danvers resident Dan Kennedy doesn't get the fire chief's refusal to let federal chemical investigators on the explosion scene:
... Those of us who live in Danvers deserve an explanation as to why the CSB isn't being allowed in.
On Blue Mass. Group, Ernie wonders that the chief might be hiding:
Jenglo is a nurse at a hospital near Danvers, and was on duty when the ink plant exploded. After her shift, she went over to Danvers High School to help care for residents of the New England Home for the Deaf - evacuated after the explosion:
I tried to wheel one man to a spot at a table, and the woman next to him pulled him back. Then, she started pointing at her ring finger where there was a huge, gold band and a solitaire diamond band. I asked an interpreter what was going on, and she said, "They're married. His wife doesn't know where you're taking him."
Andrew Jacob films from within the blast zone, with original music composed the night of the explosion, "The Night Before Turkey Day Explosion:"
Suggestions from the state - money is better than physical goods.
Also:
Danversport Victim Fund
Danvers Bank
1 Conant St.
Danvers, MA 01923
Alfred Nylund lives near the ink plant. He reports:
... My windows were blown in and there was a weird glow outside like dusk, or a solar eclipse, only with an eerie red tinge. Just across the river, where the chemical plant once stood, there rose 300 feet into the sky a mushroom cloud. It's no wonder that people thought that this was the end of it all... World War III, and they ARE nuking small town America, just like "The Day After" said they would! Only no Steve Guttenberg running around like an idiot.
People wandered the streets checking to see if their neighbors were alright. Closer to the blast zone, these wandering people were the walking wounded. It was a surreal experience.
Every house on my street sustained significant damage ...
Michael Agri videos the fire - and captures commentary from other residents watching the inferno:
Jack Pattishall posts photos taken about 10 minutes after the initial explosion at a Danvers ink plant (including the one above, re-posted with permission):
I woke up to a room filled with red flashing light. I heard the initial explosion and wasn't sure what was going on. The explosions that followed as well as the house shaking got me out of bed, running for my camera. I knew something was going on! ...
Ryan posts photos of the fire, which destroyed several homes and commercial buildings, but didn't kill anybody:
Lubos Motl explains why a particle accelerator under construction in Switzerland won't generate a black hole that will swallow the earth the instant it's turned on next year.
In any event (whether horizontal or not), if you find 32 years' worth of string theory and theoretical physics too dense to follow, he gives a more general theory for dismissing the gravity of the claim and not blowing your retirement fund over the next six months, in words you don't have to be an Einstein to understand:
WBUR had an interesting interview this morning with Carlo Boccia, Boston's homeland-security director (the interview requires RealPlayer).
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