Officials respond to cries of bias during evacuation

GRANITEVILLE -- Aiken County officials say it is unfortunate some residents think they were treated differently because of their race during a recent chemical spill.

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Lt. Michael Frank, the sheriff's department spokesman, said Tuesday that no residents were told to stay in their homes while others were told to evacuate after the train crash Jan. 6.

Some residents complained that they were not evacuated soon enough.

Johnnie Alexander lives about three blocks from the crash site. He told The (Columbia) State that friends who are white and live nearby told him they were evacuated soon after the 2:40 a.m. wreck.

Mr. Alexander, who is black, and his wife were evacuated at about 3:30 p.m.

"Being three blocks away, me and my family should have gotten out earlier," he said.

Lt. Frank said that when the evacuation order was given , police officers from across the state went through all surrounding neighborhoods at the same time. About 5,400 people were evacuated from a one-mile area.

Aiken County Sheriff Michael Hunt said residents were treated the same in the evacuation order.

Initially, residents near the site were told to stay in their homes to avoid the chlorine gas. The one-mile evacuation area was announced later in the afternoon.

Ronald Coleman, senior pastor at Val¤ley Fair Baptist Church, said he hopes government officials will address the concerns of residents.

"It seems like the New Hope section of Graniteville is always the last," he said.

--From the Wednesday, January 19, 2005 printed edition of the Augusta Chronicle