On Friday, January 4th, a mysterious invisible cloud of smelly air engulfed much of Toms River. We would find out later that the smelly air travelled over 5 NJ counties.
Riverguy first noticed it as a burning, petroleum smell. It was subtle at first in the house, but when I opened the door the stench was so strong the the air was practically unbreathable. As time passed, more of it seeped into the house....and I began to wonder....what if this stuff is toxic? What if it just keeps getting stronger? After all, once is fully permeated the house, there would be nowhere else to go. I seriously considered jumping in the car to see if I could get out of the path of the smell.
Riverguy's wife called the police, and they said they knew about it (actually they we getting inundated with calls), but they didn't know what is was. Nothing was mentioned on local radio (at least that I could find).
In this age of terrorism, weren't we supposed to get some instructions about what to do? Stay put? Evacuate? Listen to a radio station for updates? What happened to all of our preparedness? Lots of money has been spent on Homeland security. We should have been informed quickly and clearly -- but instead we were all left guessing.
Also....how about tracking down the source? The wind direction and data on call reports should allow this to be pinpointed. Aren't there supposed to be air monitors in place?
How about lingering health effects on people? On animals? Sure, I'm probably over-reacting, but we'll never know if they don't find the source of the cloud, and the substance involved.
We deserve better.
