Garden Grove-area residents who evacuated during May's toxic chemical emergency may be eligible for compensation if a proposed $125 million settlement wins approval.
Here's what to know
According to NBC Los Angeles, the Orange County District Attorney's Office has resolved its civil case against GKN Aerospace Transparency Systems, Inc. and GKN Aerospace, Inc. over the chemical tank emergency, but a judge must still approve the agreement.
Court approval would establish a claims program worth up to $100 million for residents and businesses displaced by the evacuation order, with eligible reimbursements including lodging, loss of use, daily meal allowances, transportation, and lost wages.
The evacuation order lasted five days starting May 21 and applied to roughly 13,000 to 17,000 households. A publicly released map identified affected properties, showing the potential blast radius and the area within the reach of a toxic chemical plume.
GKN says it has completed the preparatory steps needed to start the claims process and plans to hold a community event on Oct. 27. The company also said residents could get help online and in person in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, and Korean.
More background
The trouble began when one of the company's toxic chemical storage tanks showed increasing heat and pressure. Firefighters said a problem with a pressure-release valve left the tank at risk of exploding or spilling its toxic contents.
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Authorities lifted the evacuation only after a crack formed in the damaged tank and released the built-up pressure. Until then, families, workers, and business owners in the area spent days in limbo over Memorial Day weekend, waiting to learn when it was safe to return.
By late June, hazardous materials crews had started removing thousands of gallons of methyl methacrylate, or MMA, from the storage tanks. Orange County initially approved $500,000 to reimburse residents affected by the evacuation order.
The proposed settlement includes more than $8.4 million designated for emergency response and abatement costs.
What's being done?
The proposed claims program could let residents and businesses recover certain out-of-pocket costs connected to the evacuation.
The settlement would also require a safety and monitoring plan placing GKN's operations under the oversight of an outside expert for at least seven years. GKN has operated locally since 1966 and employs about 500 locals.
Nothing in the agreement would begin before a judge approves the settlement. GKN said it is preparing the claims program so it can open quickly once that happens.
Residents can expect more details about the claims program at the company's Oct. 27 community event.
Where can I learn more?
The Garden Grove evacuation is part of a broader wave of fights over toxic contamination and industrial accountability. These stories have also covered lawsuits against GKN and major chemical makers, utility pollution penalties, and federal cleanup funding.
• In Garden Grove, residents warned the toxic leak crisis showed GKN's storage system could fail.
• In Washington, D.C., Pepco agreed to pay over $50 million for persistent toxic pollution in the Anacostia River.
• Chemours, DuPont, and Corteva agreed to a massive $1.2 billion settlement over PFAS-contaminated water nationwide.
• Water treatment agencies across the US are suing chemical companies over widespread toxic contamination that fouled drinking supplies.
• Federal officials directed $300 million toward cleaning up once-contaminated lands left behind by industrial sites.
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