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Community of Roseland looking for answers about what chemicals may be covering their town
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ROSELAND - Residents of Roseland are coming back to their homes and looking for answers three days after an explosion at Smitty's Supply covered the area in ash and soot, forcing an evacuation.
At Monday night's town hall meeting, the questions were simple: What was in the facility? Why wasn't the evacuation zone larger? Who is going to clean up their town?
Roseland Mayor Van Showers said that he was told in a meeting with the Department of Environmental Quality that the chemicals released were not harmful.
“Just because those limits are set, don’t mean it’s okay. I’m probably going to get kickback but I don’t care. I’m tired of biting my tongue," he said.
Some residents find it hard to believe.
“As far as them saying we don’t know what the chemicals are, all the containers at Smitty's are labeled," a resident said.
State officials say they are waiting for test results.
"Understand this happened on a Friday. It’s hard to get stuff done over the weekend," State Rep. Robby Carter said.
People in the area are looking to Smitty's Supply for answers about what chemicals could have been released.
"They know every [Safety Data Sheet] in that facility - period. To withhold that from these people, that’s wrong 100%," another resident said.
Mayor Showers said Roseland may be on their own during the cleanup process.
“We’re going to do what we can to help everyone. As far as the clean up I was told, we gotta clean it up ourselves," he said.
It wasn't all bad news at Monday's meeting. Showers said there will be a drive-through supply distribution Tuesday for residents who live within two miles of Smitty's and employees who lost their jobs. Residents with a valid ID can come to the Florida Parish Arena from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. the rest of the week.
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