California governor declares state of emergency over looming chemical disaster

Order facilitates support for 40,000 people told to evacuate Orange county as responders try to divert explosion Gavin Newsom, California’s governor, declared a state of emergency on Saturday in response to the looming threat of chemical disaster in Orange county. The proclamation directs the governor’s office of emergency services and other state agencies to provide additional support to Orange county responders. The governor’s office is also making state-owned properties available to shelter the 40,000 people ordered to evacuate from the area. “The safety of Orange County residents is the top priority,” Newsom said in a statement. “We are mobilizing every state resource available to support local responders and make sure the community has what they need to stay safe.” On Thursday, a storage tank holding methyl methacrylate began off-gassing and threatened to fail at a facility in the town of Garden Grove owned by GKN Aerospace, local authorities say. The highly flammable chemical is used to fabricate resins and plastics. Local authorities say the tank, which holds 6,000-7,000 gallons of the chemical, will either explode or leak its contents into the parking lot. Firefighters have