Posted on 10/10/2001 12:22:15 PM PDT by Thoreau
Unknown substance rains down on Trappe
* Emergency crews called to investigate material which is said to be harmless
By: BRIAN HAAS, Staff Writer October 10, 2001
Rescue crews blocked off Seymour Drive in Trappe after a chemical scare. Someone reported a white substance falling from the sky around 4 :45 p.m. Tuesday. By 9:30 p.m., officials reopened the area after determining that there was no threat to human health.
TRAPPE - In 1928, it rained frogs in Trappe. Tuesday evening, it rained a strange, white substance that officials still can't explain.
Dozens of rescue and fire vehicles, Talbot County Sheriff's deputies, Maryland State Police and the Maryland Department of the Environment were called to 3780 Seymour Drive. Emergency Management received a call at 4:47 p.m. from construction workers who noticed a white, liquid substance falling from the sky.
By 5 p.m., officials closed off all of Seymour Drive all the way to U.S. Route 50. Residents near the neighborhood of La Trappe Heights were told to stay in their houses. There were rumors that people witnessed a crop duster in the area. Officials contacted BWI International Airport and local airports to see if there was any truth to the rumors. One rumor of an aerial seeder in the area was dispelled early on. Officials still don't know from where the substance came.
Patient residents stood along the police tape at the Mobil Shore Stop Food Store, waiting to see when they could return home and calling stranded friends and family members.
Wayne Bart's wife was stranded in their house, but he was able to contact her with his cell phone.
"I said, 'well, just sit around and don't breathe the air,'" he joked.
Bart, who doesn't consider himself an "alarmist," said that he was confident that there was no real threat to the area.
Pady Short was also stuck outside of home, waiting in the cold Mobil parking lot.
"They're in my back yard!" Short said, pointing to rescue workers literally in her yard. "It's very scary, I thought my house was on fire. I think it's very strange."
Hazardous material crews from Cambridge were called in and arrived around 7 p.m. At that time, the crews moved in to get a sample of the substance to test its toxicity.
More than three hours after the initial call, Lt. Bud Frank of the state police said that the investigation was over. Mike Sharon, of the MDE, said that they had discovered "small spatters" of a white substance around the neighborhood that was, "no immediate threat to human health." Though they could not identify the substance, he said they ruled out jet fuel and aerial seeds. Officials also said that nobody within the affected area showed any symptoms of illness. The MDE is test the substance again Wednesday.
Talbot County Council President Wayne Dyott thanked the different departments involved and said that their response is proof that they are prepared for anything.
"We do have a plan in effect and we do know how to handle situations," Dyott said.
Major Dallas Pope of the state police also showed up the scene. He was at a dedication ceremony at the old Sheriff's Office in Easton when he heard a lot of activity on the police radio. After the investigation concluded, Pope said that the efforts should be viewed as a "confidence builder" for the community since inter-departmental cooperation ran smoothly.
"It also shows where your tax dollars go," Pope added with a smile.
Uh, too obvious not to do this, but:
Was it snow?
/john
I think the gubmint is doing some experiments or perhaps secretly trying to immunize us against something. Regardless, in these time it is not really wise to immediately yell 'Whacko-Hoax-Little-Green-Men' as per gubmint instructions like a good little know nothing.
Write your congress critters. Demand that all non citizen Muslims be deported NOW. This will make the FBI's job easier in watching the remaining ones. They (the 'citizen' Moslems) may have to go too however.
If my 'culturist' sentiments bother you .... ask yourself this: "Was that fat lady leafing through the Natl. Enquirer in the line in front of me today sending anthrax spoors into the air around me?"
All the terrs had to do was infiltrate the infrastructure of The Sun and dump anthrax spoors into ONE press run.
If they have not identified the substance, then how do they know that it poses "no immediate threat to human health," other than fact that people weren't dropping dead or barfing in the streets? The honest answer should have been, "We have no idea what this stuff is or whether it is harmful. We'll let you know in a couple of days."
It's not fun and games in any of our neighborhoods......
In Texas, we call it birdshit.
I don't know what it was, but if Trappe is close to Ottawa, then I would say it was snow. I have my air conditioner on here in California. (S)
I read this is in a book. The villain in the story used a three-part poison. Part one in the food served. Part one by itself is non-lethal, so the Villain was able to eat the food with his victims. Part two served in the wine served with the meal. Again, part two alone and combined with the first part was also non-lethal, so again, the Villain could drink with his victims.
Part three of the poison was part of the candles in the room of the victims. Once the victims inhaled the fumes, this third part of the poison would mix with the other two parts. The victims would die of poison. As long as the Villain did not inhale the fumes, the other parts of the poison would eventually pass through the system, leaving him unharmed.
So far there have been several reports of strange white substances... Could this be the first part of a multi-part bio-weapon?
Could be, but if I was betting, I'd place my money on bird doody.
You saw normal contrails. Given the correct upper level humidity, temperature, and wind conditions regular contrails will fan out and become almost an entire cloud layer that can actually last a full day. Lasting half a day is nothing.
BTW, don't know where you live, but if it was within 300 miles of the East Coast, if they WERE spraying anything, they were spraying the Atlantic Ocean. Any atomized, liquid, or particulate matter sprayed at the altitude people claim to see chemtrails inevitably will fall hundreds of miles to the east of where the supposed "chemtrail" is.
Anyway, I live about 15 miles NE of Trappe, Maryland, and I didn't see jack squat yesterday :-).
Bet Jack's relieved.
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