A Wild Week…

December 14, 2009 Comments Off

Last week was certainly an interesting one here in Norfolk. It started with our first major snowstorm of the year, which dumped over 8 inches of snow in the area, combined with 40 mph winds to create very dangerous conditions. Despite the difficult weather, we were able to limit our office closure to a two-hour late start on Wednesday morning, and were able to successfully process all billings we received on-time

Just as Norfolk was digging out of that storm and getting back to our normal routines, we received more shocking news. A faulty valve connected to a 30,000 gallon propane tank started a fire at a manufacturing facility just a few blocks from the Daycos offices.

Even more dangerous than the fire itself was the threat that the propane tank, which had been filled the day before, might explode. The resulting explosion would likely level buildings in the immediate area and send debris shooting high into the air. (Here is a link to a video of a similar explosion, to give you some idea of the threat Norfolk was facing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWjxrAhpBQk )

Understandably, a mandatory evacuation was ordered for a one mile radius around the fire which included the Daycos offices, as well as nearly one-third of the city of Norfolk. As firefighters and city officials (including the Mayor, our own Sue Fuchtman) developed a plan for fighting the fire, we started planning how we would continue to function if our building was damaged by an explosion, or if the evacuation lasted multiple days as the propane tank burned itself out, which was a strong possibility. Fortunately, before we had to implement any of those plans, the Norfolk Fire Department was able to successfully perform a dangerous operation to send in a firefighter to shut off the valve while the tank was doused with a “wall of water” to prevent an explosion.

Once the evacuation was lifted, our employees returned to the office and were able to successfully complete the day’s invoicing. Needless to say, we are certainly hoping for a nice quiet, normal week, with no snowstorms, fires, or mandatory evacuations. We appreciated all of your patience and understanding as we dealt with these issues, and we are sure you understand that the safety of our employees has to be our first priority.