GKN Aerospace, which operates the Garden Grove manufacturing plant where concerns that a chemical tank could explode recently displaced roughly 50,000 people, is giving $3 million to a fund set up to help people recoup losses from having to evacuate.
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The money will go into the OC Community Resilience Fund, a partnership of Orange County United Way and 211OC, which has been providing evacuees with $250 cash assistance cards toward “immediate household needs.”
The money from GKN has allowed the fund to double the onetime cash assistance to $500 for each qualifying person, United Way officials said.
Orange County Supervisor Janet Nguyen, whose district covers the evacuated neighborhoods, said the contribution from GKN is “a good start,” but she’d like to see the company reimburse people directly, without having to go through an intermediary.
“My No. 1 priority has been to make sure that businesses and residents are made whole, and I will continue to advocate for that,” she said.
The chemical emergency over Memorial Day weekend — an overheating tank was at risk of exploding or leaking 7,000 gallons of methyl methacrylate — has triggered a flurry of lawsuits from people affected by the evacuations.
At their height, evacuation orders affected residents across parts of Garden Grove, Stanton, Westminster, Cypress, Anaheim and Buena Park.
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Those who want to apply for assistance should dial 211 and select Option 7, according to guidelines from the United Way. They’ll need to provide proof of residency or business location as well as photo IDs.
Assistance will be dispersed on a first-come basis until the fund is depleted, United Way officials said.
United Way and 211OC representatives declined to comment further on the fund.
In addition to giving $3 million to the fund, GKN contributed $1 million to the American Red Cross and pledged another $1 million “to support broader community initiatives” across the county, the company said in a Wednesday news release.
“By working with a trusted local organization with the infrastructure to mobilize resources quickly, we hope to help expedite assistance to those most in need,” Steve Carlin, GKN’s senior vice president, said in the release. “We will continue to engage with community leaders, work with the authorities, and help the community move forward.”
GKN declined to comment further on the funds.
Cleanup at the Garden Grove property continues. OC Health Care Agency officials said work Thursday, June 4, and Friday, June 5, would include pumping out the now neutralized methyl methacrylate from the storage tanks. The material would go into sealed trucks and be transported for final disposal.
Additional information on recovery resoures for businesses impacted can be found at ocgov.com/gkn-aerospace-hazmat-incident.
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