State of emergency declared in County

By PHILIP LORD Senior writer

Reaction to the fatal train crash in Graniteville was quick in coming from state and national leaders.

At noon Thursday, Gov. Mark Sanford signed an executive order declaring a state of emergency in Aiken County.

The order initiated the state's emergency operations plan and activated the State Emergency Operations Center and makes state emergency response assets available to the area.

"Our job at the state level is going to be making sure that folks on the ground responding to this emergency have everything they need," Sanford said.

He added, "Finally, on behalf of our entire state, I'd like to send mine and Jenny's prayers out to everybody who's been impacted and who's going to be impacted by this tragedy."

Sanford, who traveled to Aiken to be updated on the situation, said he expected the death toll from the incident to rise as the true scope of the incident is revealed.

"It is a very significant event given the fact that chlorine is a deadly chemical and has already caused a number of deaths," Sanford said during a brief press conference. "I suspect the death toll will rise."

He added, "There may well be bodies inside a number of the homes very close to the crash site itself."

On a national level, the news of the crash drew responses from members of the state's Congressional Delegation, who started the 109th Congress on Tuesday.

"My thoughts and prayers go out to those who have been adversely affected by this accident," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.

"I also want to thank all of those who are giving their time and talent in assistance to the local community trying to recover from this accident," he added. "My office will continue to work to ensure they have all the tools they need available to them.

"My office remains in contact with federal officials responsible for looking into and determining the cause of this accident," Graham said. "I look forward to hearing from those officials to ensure we take the necessary steps to prevent another accident from occurring again in the future."

"The congressional delegation will continue to monitor this situation and will stand ready to offer additional assistance if the need arises," said Graham, who is the state's senior senator.

"Today's train wreck is a heartbreaking accident and I along with all South Carolinians extend condolences to the individuals and families affected by this tragedy," said Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C. "Our thoughts and prayers will be with you during this difficult time."

"While our first priority is to care for those who have been injured, I will be working with the National Transportation Safety Board to help prevent future accidents," DeMint said.

"First let me say that my thoughts and prayers go out to the families of those who lost their life as a result of the accident early this morning. Congressional members as well as state and local officials will do whatever is necessary to ensure community and family needs are met," said Rep. Gresham Barrett, R-S.C. "Members of my staff are currently on the ground and will continue to help residents and local officials in whatever way they can."

"I have been in contact with Secretary Mineta's office, the NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board), the Governor's office, as well as local officials," Barrett said. "I expect to receive regular updates from federal, state and local officials as the situation changes and will continue to monitor the situation closely."

"I also want to thank all of our first responders and local officials who have been working diligently under difficult and dangerous conditions to resolve this situation as safely and quickly as possible," Barrett said.

Contact Philip Lord at plord@aikenstandard.com.

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