Thousands flee their homes in O.C., unsure when they can return

A chemical leak at a Garden Grove aerospace plant caused thousands to flee homes in Orange County. Officials said the situation was not resolved because a chemical tank remained at risk of exploding. Evacuation orders covered portions of Garden Grove, Cypress, Stanton, Anaheim, Buena Park, and Westminster. Evacuation shelters filled quickly and local hotels also became crowded. Families described confusion and stress after receiving little notice, including worries for children and difficulty managing daily plans. Residents reported scrambling to evacuate, gathering medications, documents, and pet supplies, while trying to understand how long they would need temporary housing.

"Officials said the crisis remains anything but resolved, with a chemical tank still in danger of exploding. Residents in portions of six Orange County cities are covered by the order: Garden Grove, Cypress, Stanton, Anaheim, Buena Park and Westminster."

"Evacuation shelter filled up, along with local hotels. Fleeing the homes with little notice was one thing. But many are asking how long it will be before they can return home."

""The kids are confused, a little worried. They had a lot of questions when we said we had to evacuate," said Tricia Quach, 38, who had visited the Cypress Community Center to take her daughter to an art class. "Maybe being blown up, that's a scary situation. But we just assured them it's for safety reasons.""

""We kind of don't know what to expect," said Helen Fernandez, 40, who lives in Buena Park. "We are just winging it." Bar manager Miguel Loo, 30, lives about two or three miles away from the leaking chemical plant. He was shopping with his family at around noon in Irvine ahead of his birthday this weekend when they received a notice to evacuate from the city."

Read at Los Angeles Times