Morehead City returns to normal after hazardous spill

After a day of detoured traffic and a voluntary evacuation, things were getting back to normal in downtown Morehead City Tuesday night following a hazardous materials spill at the state port.

U.S. 70, which had been closed much of the day, reopened a little after 5 p.m. and a safety zone that extended about a mile around the port was lifted.

Mayor Jerry Jones said the hazard of the materials had been reduced to a level that clean up could begin and it was safe to end the precautionary measures that had been taken to protect the public. He thanked the agencies involved for their cooperative effort and the support of the community.

“I’m very proud of the community coming together the way it did,” he said.

The hazardous material spill at the state port in Morehead City detoured traffic on a major highway and disrupted the routine for some downtown businesses and residents on Tuesday as a portion of U.S. 70 was closed and a voluntary evacuation was put in place for homes and businesses in the area around the port.

There were no injuries or damage to the environment reported as a result of the incident. A forklift reportedly breached a shipping container being offloaded from a ship and the chemical pentaerythritol tetranitrate, known as PETN, was released from nine drums containing the product

Morehead City Fire & EMS Chief Wes Lail said the substance is one component in making explosive devices and the steps taken to protect the public were deemed precautionary.

“We want to err on the side of safety,” Laid said during a Tuesday press conference.

Chance Supulski of Swansboro, a U.S. Postal Service employee who delivers mail downtown, was told of the situation before his route, which falls in the area under voluntary evacuation.

He said he was advised to be safe and deliver mail as far as possible but he was not overly concerned by the news. He said some of the businesses he delivers to closed since few customers were expected.

Supulski remained cautious but made the best of it.

“As they say, ‘rain, sleet, snow or hazardous material,’” he said.

For emergency responders, the day was a long one that included an incident command of local, state and federal agencies working together to resolve the situation.

Lail called the spill a small, localized one but said the steps involved in containing the spill, mitigating the situation and cleaning up the site were tedious and time consuming.

The Morehead City Fire & EMS Department was called for the port of Morehead City around 4:45 a.m. Tuesday in response to the hazardous materials incident.

U.S. 70 from 4th Street in Morehead City to the Morehead City-Beaufort high-rise bridge was closed and around 9 a.m. a safety zone of about a half mile was set up around the port, extending to about 8th Street in Morehead City.

A voluntary evacuation was established for businesses and homes in an area. While it was not required that people leave, it was recommended that they “shelter in place” and stay away from exterior windows and doors.

The port was closed to everyone but essential personnel and the Coast Guard established a two-nautical-mile safety zone around the port.

As the day wore on, more information became available about the spill itself, which from initial information appeared to be accidental.

Lail said the spill occurred during the offloading procedures to move the materials from the ship. And the product, transported as slurry, was in packaging for safe transport, he said.

According to a N.C. State Ports Authority news release, vessel operations at the North Carolina Ports are handled by private stevedoring companies and no Ports Authority employees were involved.

Explosive materials are handled routinely at the Port of Morehead City, under all prescribed regulations for safe handling and transportation and in conjunction with local and state emergency management agencies.

Lt. Robert Jones of the State Ports Authority Police and Security said an appropriate application had been approved by the Coast Guard to unload the product at the port. He said it has been about two years since the last shipment of PETN was brought through the port.

Details on the circumstances surrounding the accident and the nature of the material remain under investigation, port officials said.

Local officials were in contact with the governor’s office and U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan during the day about the incident.

Responding with the Morehead City Fire & EMS Department are the Port of Morehead City, Morehead City Police Department, Beaufort Fire Department, U.S. Coast Guard, Cherry Point Fire Department, Cherry Point EOD, Carteret County Emergency Services, and U.S. Customs. The Salvation Army and Red Cross provided support services for emergency responders.

After a day of detoured traffic and a voluntary evacuation, things were getting back to normal in downtown Morehead City Tuesday night following a hazardous materials spill at the state port.

U.S. 70, which had been closed much of the day, reopened a little after 5 p.m. and a safety zone that extended about a mile around the port was lifted.

Mayor Jerry Jones said the hazard of the materials had been reduced to a level that clean up could begin and it was safe to end the precautionary measures that had been taken to protect the public. He thanked the agencies involved for their cooperative effort and the support of the community.

“I’m very proud of the community coming together the way it did,” he said.

The hazardous material spill at the state port in Morehead City detoured traffic on a major highway and disrupted the routine for some downtown businesses and residents on Tuesday as a portion of U.S. 70 was closed and a voluntary evacuation was put in place for homes and businesses in the area around the port.

There were no injuries or damage to the environment reported as a result of the incident. A forklift reportedly breached a shipping container being offloaded from a ship and the chemical pentaerythritol tetranitrate, known as PETN, was released from nine drums containing the product

Morehead City Fire & EMS Chief Wes Lail said the substance is one component in making explosive devices and the steps taken to protect the public were deemed precautionary.

“We want to err on the side of safety,” Laid said during a Tuesday press conference.

Chance Supulski of Swansboro, a U.S. Postal Service employee who delivers mail downtown, was told of the situation before his route, which falls in the area under voluntary evacuation.

He said he was advised to be safe and deliver mail as far as possible but he was not overly concerned by the news. He said some of the businesses he delivers to closed since few customers were expected.

Supulski remained cautious but made the best of it.

“As they say, ‘rain, sleet, snow or hazardous material,’” he said.

For emergency responders, the day was a long one that included an incident command of local, state and federal agencies working together to resolve the situation.

Lail called the spill a small, localized one but said the steps involved in containing the spill, mitigating the situation and cleaning up the site were tedious and time consuming.

The Morehead City Fire & EMS Department was called for the port of Morehead City around 4:45 a.m. Tuesday in response to the hazardous materials incident.

U.S. 70 from 4th Street in Morehead City to the Morehead City-Beaufort high-rise bridge was closed and around 9 a.m. a safety zone of about a half mile was set up around the port, extending to about 8th Street in Morehead City.

A voluntary evacuation was established for businesses and homes in an area. While it was not required that people leave, it was recommended that they “shelter in place” and stay away from exterior windows and doors.

The port was closed to everyone but essential personnel and the Coast Guard established a two-nautical-mile safety zone around the port.

As the day wore on, more information became available about the spill itself, which from initial information appeared to be accidental.

Lail said the spill occurred during the offloading procedures to move the materials from the ship. And the product, transported as slurry, was in packaging for safe transport, he said.

According to a N.C. State Ports Authority news release, vessel operations at the North Carolina Ports are handled by private stevedoring companies and no Ports Authority employees were involved.

Explosive materials are handled routinely at the Port of Morehead City, under all prescribed regulations for safe handling and transportation and in conjunction with local and state emergency management agencies.

Lt. Robert Jones of the State Ports Authority Police and Security said an appropriate application had been approved by the Coast Guard to unload the product at the port. He said it has been about two years since the last shipment of PETN was brought through the port.

Details on the circumstances surrounding the accident and the nature of the material remain under investigation, port officials said.

Local officials were in contact with the governor’s office and U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan during the day about the incident.

Responding with the Morehead City Fire & EMS Department are the Port of Morehead City, Morehead City Police Department, Beaufort Fire Department, U.S. Coast Guard, Cherry Point Fire Department, Cherry Point EOD, Carteret County Emergency Services, and U.S. Customs. The Salvation Army and Red Cross provided support services for emergency responders.