Minot Train Derailment
Encyclopedia
The Minot Train Derailment occurred in Minot, North Dakota
on 18 January 2002, when a Canadian Pacific Railway
freight train derailed outside Minot, spilling hazardous materials.
about four miles west of the city center, in a development called Terracita Vallejo. Tanker cars carrying anhydrous ammonia ruptured, releasing a cloud of caustic, poison
ous gas over the city. The gas killed at least one person, and injured around a hundred more. Soon after the derailment, a large area around the derailed train was evacuated, and residents in the remainder of the city were told to stay indoors.
to the disaster was disorganized, as due to the time of the incident (very early in the morning) all local radio stations, operated by Clear Channel
, were staffed at limited levels, given automation systems were used at many of these stations to provide programming. The city's radio based Emergency Alert System
although not activated at the time of the event, was found later in an investigation by both local officials and the Federal Communications Commission to be completely operable. However, other emergency warning systems throughout Minot at the time were inoperable or failed. This included the public siren system which failed during the event and the 911 telephone system which became overloaded. The Emergency Alert System, tied to local radio stations, was functional at the time of the event but was not activated by the proper authorities. The EAS system, outside its connection to emergency management personnel is a completely automated system. Thus, there is no need for a human operator within a radio station to be present at the time of activation of this system. Additionally, the system employed in Minot that night could NOT have been activated manually by station personnel because of standard protocol dictating that the initiation of an EAS alert must originate with emergency management officials only. Also, the digital code for activation of the system can be sent from a variety of official state and regional sources from outside the immediate area of the emergency. The National Weather service is an example of one of these sources. However, these alternate activation points were not accessed by local emergency managers. Conversely According to the dispatchers, residents were supposed to close doors and windows, boil water and cover their faces with wet cloths to counteract the ammonia.
As a result of the confusion, no formal emergency warnings were issued for several hours while Minot officials located station managers at home. The incident has been cited as an example of the physical dangers of media consolidation and the currently prevalent cost-cutting measure of not keeping overnight staff at stations. Even without activation of the Emergency Alert System, a live announcer would still have been able to warn citizens of the emergency via the traditional means of the broadcast signal and an on-air microphone. As local stations were running in automated mode, there was nobody on-site to interrupt programming and issue warnings concerning the disaster.
By the morning of the 18th, the cloud was dissipating, but covered a wider area of the city. Governor John Hoeven
arrived on a North Dakota National Guard helicopter to survey the disaster, landing near Dakota Square Mall
for a brief press conference.
reporters were on the scene the day of the disaster, and filed reports on the aftermath on the national news programs throughout the week, while ABC News
provided only a short clip the day of the disaster.
Cleanup operations began around 24 hours after the wreck, as soon as the gas cloud had dissipated enough to allow workers to safely get near the train. As part of the operations, CP removed ammonia-contaminated ice from the Souris River
to avoid further environmental damage.
After the disaster, CP opened a claims office in Minot to avoid a larger lawsuit. Residents were offered several hundred dollars as a settlement, waiving their rights to pursue a claim in court.
Following the incident, the Minot city council imposed a speed limit on trains passing through the city.
Minot, North Dakota
Minot is a city located in north central North Dakota in the United States. It is most widely known for the Air Force base located approximately 15 miles north of the city. With a population of 40,888 at the 2010 census, Minot is the fourth largest city in the state...
on 18 January 2002, when a Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
freight train derailed outside Minot, spilling hazardous materials.
Derailment
At approximately 0230 local time, 30 cars of a Canadian Pacific train derailedDerailment
A derailment is an accident on a railway or tramway in which a rail vehicle, or part or all of a train, leaves the tracks on which it is travelling, with consequent damage and in many cases injury and/or death....
about four miles west of the city center, in a development called Terracita Vallejo. Tanker cars carrying anhydrous ammonia ruptured, releasing a cloud of caustic, poison
Poison
In the context of biology, poisons are substances that can cause disturbances to organisms, usually by chemical reaction or other activity on the molecular scale, when a sufficient quantity is absorbed by an organism....
ous gas over the city. The gas killed at least one person, and injured around a hundred more. Soon after the derailment, a large area around the derailed train was evacuated, and residents in the remainder of the city were told to stay indoors.
Response
Emergency responseEmergency management
Emergency management is the generic name of an interdisciplinary field dealing with the strategic organizational management processes used to protect critical assets of an organization from hazard risks that can cause events like disasters or catastrophes and to ensure the continuance of the...
to the disaster was disorganized, as due to the time of the incident (very early in the morning) all local radio stations, operated by Clear Channel
Clear channel
A clear-channel station is an AM band Radio station in North America that has the highest protection from interference from other stations, particularly concerning night-time skywave propagation. Usually known as class A stations since 1982, they are occasionally still referred to by their former...
, were staffed at limited levels, given automation systems were used at many of these stations to provide programming. The city's radio based Emergency Alert System
Emergency Alert System
The Emergency Alert System is a national warning system in the United States put into place on January 1, 1997, when it superseded the Emergency Broadcast System , which itself had superseded the CONELRAD System...
although not activated at the time of the event, was found later in an investigation by both local officials and the Federal Communications Commission to be completely operable. However, other emergency warning systems throughout Minot at the time were inoperable or failed. This included the public siren system which failed during the event and the 911 telephone system which became overloaded. The Emergency Alert System, tied to local radio stations, was functional at the time of the event but was not activated by the proper authorities. The EAS system, outside its connection to emergency management personnel is a completely automated system. Thus, there is no need for a human operator within a radio station to be present at the time of activation of this system. Additionally, the system employed in Minot that night could NOT have been activated manually by station personnel because of standard protocol dictating that the initiation of an EAS alert must originate with emergency management officials only. Also, the digital code for activation of the system can be sent from a variety of official state and regional sources from outside the immediate area of the emergency. The National Weather service is an example of one of these sources. However, these alternate activation points were not accessed by local emergency managers. Conversely According to the dispatchers, residents were supposed to close doors and windows, boil water and cover their faces with wet cloths to counteract the ammonia.
As a result of the confusion, no formal emergency warnings were issued for several hours while Minot officials located station managers at home. The incident has been cited as an example of the physical dangers of media consolidation and the currently prevalent cost-cutting measure of not keeping overnight staff at stations. Even without activation of the Emergency Alert System, a live announcer would still have been able to warn citizens of the emergency via the traditional means of the broadcast signal and an on-air microphone. As local stations were running in automated mode, there was nobody on-site to interrupt programming and issue warnings concerning the disaster.
By the morning of the 18th, the cloud was dissipating, but covered a wider area of the city. Governor John Hoeven
John Hoeven
John Henry Hoeven III is the junior United States Senator from North Dakota. He is a member of the North Dakota Republican Party. He is expected to become the state's senior senator when Kent Conrad retires from the Senate in January 2013.Hoeven served as the 31st Governor of North Dakota,...
arrived on a North Dakota National Guard helicopter to survey the disaster, landing near Dakota Square Mall
Dakota Square Mall
-Overview:The largest mall within , is the third biggest mall in North Dakota, boasting 70 shops, with four major anchor stores, a food court and a nine-screen Carmike Cinema with stadium seating...
for a brief press conference.
Coverage and aftermath
The derailment made national news in the United States and Canada, though the CP involvement perhaps encouraged broader coverage in the latter. CBCCanadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
reporters were on the scene the day of the disaster, and filed reports on the aftermath on the national news programs throughout the week, while ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
provided only a short clip the day of the disaster.
Cleanup operations began around 24 hours after the wreck, as soon as the gas cloud had dissipated enough to allow workers to safely get near the train. As part of the operations, CP removed ammonia-contaminated ice from the Souris River
Souris River
The Souris River or Mouse River is a river in central North America. It is about 700 km in length and drains about . It rises in the Yellow Grass Marshes north of Weyburn, Saskatchewan...
to avoid further environmental damage.
After the disaster, CP opened a claims office in Minot to avoid a larger lawsuit. Residents were offered several hundred dollars as a settlement, waiving their rights to pursue a claim in court.
Following the incident, the Minot city council imposed a speed limit on trains passing through the city.