Resources for Orange County evacuees due to Garden Grove toxic chemical leak
With more than 50,000 Orange County residents placed under mandatory evacuation orders due to a tank leaking a toxic chemical at a Garden Grove aerospace facility, several local companies are offering their services to those impacted by the situation.
Orange County evacuations
Orange County officials expanded evacuation orders on Friday to homes in a one-mile radius in several cities, including Garden Grove, Cypress, Stanton, Anaheim, Buena Park and Westminster. Evacuation orders were issued for people living in the zone that included:
- Western border expanded to Valley View St.
- Northern border expanded to Ball Rd.
- Southern border expanded to Trask Ave.
- Eastern border expanded to Dale St.
There was no estimated timetable as to when the evacuation orders would be lifted.
Evacuation centers, all of which also accept pets, are at the following locations:
Garden Grove (Not overnight): Garden Grove Sports & Recreation Center, 13641 Deodara Dr.
Anaheim: Savanna High School, 301 N. Gilbert Street
Fountain Valley (FULL): Mountain Square Regional Park-Freedom Hall at 16801 Euclid Street
Fountain Valley (open overnight): Los Amigos High School at 16566 Newhope Street
La Palma (FULL): John F. Kennedy High School at 8281 Walker Street
Huntington Beach: Ocean View High School at 17071 Gothard Street
Huntington Beach: Golden West College at 15744 Goldwenwest Street
Safety information
City of Garden Grove 24-hour call center (714) 741- 5444, or visit: ggcity.org/emergency
Orange County Sheriff's Department Disaster Resources Website.
Orange County public information hotline (714) 628-7085.
Services for evacuees
Several services were being provided for the nearly 50,000 people forced to evacuate from their homes and first responders dedicated to the ongoing incident.
Uber has offered free rides to evacuees for up to $40 as they travel to temporary shelters. Those wishing to take advantage of the offer were advised to use the promo code "OCSAFE26" in the Wallet section of their Uber app to request a free ride to the shelter of their choosing. The offer is valid for two trips per rider through Monday, Uber officials said.
Multiple hotels in Anaheim were also offering discounted rates for evacuees looking for another place to stay. A full list of participating locations can be found on the Visit Anaheim website.
The Del Taco located at 11070 Garden Grove Boulevard was also offering free meals to first responders in uniform "as a thank-you for their efforts," officials said in a news release.
All 24 Hour Fitness locations in Orange County are offering their restrooms and showers, as well as a place to charge phones in an air-conditioned setting.
Senior citizen care centers were also available at the Ehlers Center at 8150 Knott Avenue in Buena Park and the Westminster Senior Center at 8200 Westminster Avenue. Both care centers close at 8 p.m. daily.
Along with evacuation shelters, the Elks Lodge in Garden Grove also opened its doors to evacuees. Though not an official shelter, officials at the location located at 11551 Trask Avenue said that they're welcoming anyone impacted by the evacuations, along with their pets. They said that blow-up mattresses, blankets and pillows would be provided to anyone in need, along with a laundry room and showers.
"We understand we aren't an official evacuation center, but we have the space, we have the ability. That's what we're here for," said Jackie Page, the club manager of the Garden Grove Elks Lodge.
Cancelations and closures
Garden Grove Unified School District officials closed 15 campuses on Friday morning and said they would remain closed until further notice as they continued monitoring the situation. Those schools include:
- Barker Elementary School
- Bryant
- Carver
- Enders Elementary School
- Garden Park
- Lawrence Elementary School
- Wakeham Elementary School
- Patton Elementary School
- Bell Intermediate School
- Alamitos Intermediate
- Pacifica High School
- Rancho Alamitos High School
- Skylark Preschool
- Maintenance and Operations Facility
- Lampson Bus Yard
In the Magnolia School District, two campuses were closed indefinitely, including:
- Esther L. Walter School (with students relocated to Jonas E. Salk)
- Robert M. Pyles STEM Academy (with students relocated to Mattie Lou Maxwell Elementary)
In the Westminster School District:
- Finley, Johnson and Sequoia Schools were evacuated to Stacy Middle School
- Anderson, Fryberger, Mears and Schmitt were evacuated to Warner Middle School
Both Frank Vessels Elementary and Juliet Morris Elementary in the Cypress School District were placed on optional pickup on Friday.
Several schools were also indefinitely closed in the Magnolia, Savanna, Westminster and Cypress school districts.
City officials said that the annual Garden Grove Strawberry Festival would move forward as scheduled, but that the 5k marathon and parade on Saturday were canceled.
Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley also said that the County of Orange Registrar of Voters had closed the Garden Grove Sports and Recreation Center Vote Center on Saturday, as it would instead operate as a care and shelter site.
