Donaldsonville explosion: With Southern industrial boom come dangers
Donaldsonville explosion: Chemical plants are safe overall, but where industries are packed closely together, such as in Texas and Louisiana, worries simmer over looming accidents such as the back-to-back explosions in Donaldsonville and Geismar this week.

By Patrik Jonsson, Staff writer / June 15, 2013

Workers board a bus in Gonzalez, La., on Thursday to return to a chemical plant to retrieve their cars after an explosion occurred there. The explosion ignited a blaze that killed one person and injured dozens of others, authorities said. Another explosion hit a Donaldsonville plant late Friday.

Gerald Herbert/AP

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ATLANTA
Back-to-back explosions at chemical plants only miles apart along the Mississippi River have given pause to those who live in the shadows of America’s dirtiest industries.

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On Thursday, an explosion at a chemical plant in Geismar, La., owned by Williams Cos. Inc. led to two deaths and injuries – some serious – to dozens of others. Then late Friday, another explosion at a chemical plant just a few miles away in Donaldsonville claimed one life and injured eight people after a nitrogen tank exploded during an offload.

“The incident involved the rupture of an inert nitrogen vessel during the off-loading of nitrogen,” a news release from the company, CF Industries, said. “There was no fire or chemical release nor is there any threat or hazard posed to the community.”

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Hundreds of industrial plants, many that either produce or consume poisonous and explosive chemicals, line rivers and bayous throughout the South, but in few places as heavily as around New Orleans and the Mississippi River.

Some 311 chemical manufacturers employing 15,727 people currently exist in the parishes that line the Mississippi from Baton Rouge to its mouth. That number excludes the large numbers of oil refineries and plastics manufacturers in the area.

To be sure, locals welcome jobs that pay an average of more than $40,000 a year. But explosions like the ones that roiled the river this week remind many of the dangers, both to human life and the environment, such jobs bring.

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The explosions this week are “an example of what it’s like to live along a massive petrochemical corridor,” Marylee Orr, executive director of the Baton Rouge-based Louisiana Environmental Action Network, told the Associated Press. “It poses a risk to the workers first and then to the community that lives right along the front line.”

The explosions also highlight a toxic paradox of one of America’s few examples of economic boom as low natural gas prices and welcoming state regulations spur development in areas already dominated by industrial activity.

The Mississippi River’s span between New Orleans and Baton Rouge – where the twin explosions occurred Thursday and Friday – is one example. The other is the petro-corridors hugging the Gulf Coast south of Houston.

This is a prophetic fulfillment. Keep praying though about other international Airline incidents

Egypt Air passengers have began exiting a plane which was forced to make an emergency landing at Glasgow Prestwick airport today.

The Egyptair plane was travelling from Cairo to New York when staff were alerted to a threatening note left in the toilet.

The aircraft was escorted by British Typhoons from RAF Leuchars during its flight from Cairo to JFK Airport in New York.

A spokesman for Prestwick Airport said it landed about 2.30pm but the airport continued to operate as normal, with flights continuing since the Egyptair plane landed.

Police Scotland posted an update on their Facebook page, which said: “More than 100 passengers have disembarked from Egypt Air flight 985, the remainder of the passengers continue to disembark in a calm and orderly manner.

“The passengers are being taken to the airport terminal where they are being looked after by aircraft staff. Officers will be speaking to all the passengers during the evening in connection with the incident. They will continue their journey as soon as is reasonably possible.”

BBC employee Nada Tafik who was on board, said she found the handwritten note.

Earlier, she told the BBC News Channel: “I’m still on board, we were told that we would be able to get off half an hour ago but we’re still here on the plane and as you can imagine it’s a pretty tense situation.

“Everyone is out of their seats and everyone is very concerned and we don’t have much information at all.

“I’m actually the one who found the note in the rest room. When I went in to change my daughter about three hours into the flight, I found a note by the sink saying ‘I set this plane on fire’ with the seat number 46 D written on it.

“So I immediately went to the crew and told them about it.

“It was on a hand napkin written in pencil and the pencil was actually still there so I told the crew to make sure to keep it so they can get any finger prints off of it. They locked the bathroom immediately so that no one could go into it.

“It almost looked like a child’s handwriting or someone who has very sloppy handwriting, but it was very alarming especially these days when everyone is so concerned about safety on flights. I said to one of the stewardesses ‘I don’t know if this is a prank’, they said no, it can’t be a prank.

“Either someone has a very bad sense of humour or, you know, it’s very scary.

“No security has boarded the plane we’re all just waiting to get off, people are out of their seats, It’s a bit chaotic, no one really knows what’s going on.”

A spokeswoman said: “At around 1420 hours today an Egyptair aircraft flying from Cairo to New York was diverted to Prestwick Airport after a suspicious note was discovered on the aircraft.

“There are no reports of anyone injured and police are currently making arrangements for the 326 passengers to disembark.

“All passengers will then be interviewed by police.”

I keep seeing kites – red kites being flown by bears, and I have also had a burden for Russia.  When Benjamin Franklin flew his kite he attracted electricity.  Although Russia is no longer communist (red), there is a real heart among some of the most powerful leaders especially Vladimir Putin, to restore them to a communist model that looks a lot like China since they have been so prosperous.  I believe those leaders are out there flying kites, kind of probing to see if lightning will strike.  They are looking to put it into the hearts of the people again, or enough of the people to move back towards communism.  In other words there is this probing like flying kites to see if they can push towards being a more red state again.  Where there is some tolerance for religion, they are trying to use China as an example of how to prosper since a western democratic model doesn’t work for them.  We need to pray the Lord block this move that is going on behind the scenes to move them back towards a red state.

We are living in an explosive time in the spiritual and it is being mirrored in the natural.  I keep hearing the beginnings of the Canadian national anthem.  I believe there could be an explosion in Canada.  I assume that this is not some benevolent event or accident, but that this could be a pointed attack.  I think there are some who long to do something in Canada and I see Canada as vulnerable.  I pray for the Toronto area because they are so eclectic and open the doors to so many ethnicities, which is not wrong but it opens the doors to some things, somewhat like London UK has done. Please keep Canada in prayer!

We are in a season of release – I see in the spirit a dam breaking loose and there being a release of things that have been held back.  The word is the ‘fullness of times’.  It hasn’t been the enemy but the Lord holding things back for a season until we reach the place of fullness of time, the dam is about to break up.  Things that were being held back are not being held back anymore.  God’s timing is perfect in his release.  There are things in people’s lives you have been waiting on, believing for, praying about, and needing a release to happen.  We are now at that time.  You are going to begin to start to see these things be released in a number of areas of your life.  Heb 6:12 says, ‘by faith and patience, you are now going to inherit the promises’.   For some of you it has been confusing and frustrating by this holding back, but God knows exactly what he is doing.  Now the dam is broken, the release is now coming, it is coming immediately on a number of different fronts.

Need to pray about an airline incident involving an international airline.  Pray second heaven plans are frustrated.

It was spoken sometime ago, ‘as Selma goes, so goes the southeast’.  Selma is one of those keys to revival!  Keep praying for that water to swim in!

Below is part of a word given on 11/5/12. We are definitely in an explosive season, where its seems every week there is new News about some explosion. There is more to come. This is also true in the Spirit. Some of these explosions in the natural, as well as in the spirit will seem very destructive, and even tragic (some won’t) but God will use them all to accomplish His purposes at this time in redemptive History.

11/5/12. “A few weeks ago the Lord spoke a word which I gave publicly – somewhere there was going to be some major volcanic activity. It would be a prophetic sign in the natural a lot of explosive things would be happening on earth. Just explosive things happening in the natural. In terms of geopolitical and such, the volcanic eruptions will be a sign to us not only to be in prayer but will indicate explosive things happening in the spiritual. This word ties into the previous word given about Must Shortly Take Place time. All I can say is I heard the word ‘explosive’, there will be explosive things happening in the spiritual. Explosive things don’t necessarily mean bad, but can. It’s just things will happen quickly and have a real impact which can include good things. Be aware of what God is doing and be in prayer and on the alert for this natural volcanic activity.”