An interesting story in today’s Bowling Green’s The Daily News details the dangers of a potential train accident carrying chemicals through this fourth populous city in Kentucky. Earlier this month, a CSX freight train derailed and crashed in Brooks, which is about 30 miles south of Louisville. According to the story, around 500 people were evacuated from the rural area around the crash site, and 11 people were hospitalized with injuries. If this train had not crashed, it would have went eventually passed through Bowling Green, raising this story about what a similar train derailment could mean to this city.

The Daily News story reports that a similar Bowling Green train accident involving hazardous chemical exposure would require the evacuation of 100 times as many as residents as compared to Brooks. That’s roughly 50,000 people who could be affected by a Bowling Green train accident! In event of such an occurrence, emergency crews would evacuate the surrounding area. Considering lag time, this process could take anywhere from 1-4 hours; revealing the importance of Bowling Green families living near rail lines to have emergency plans and supply kits on hand in case of a train accident.