GKN Aerospace will make its up-to-$100 million claims program live online at noon on Tuesday, Oct. 27, the company announced.
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The program’s launch comes five months after a chemical tank at the GKN plant in Garden Grove storing potentially toxic and volatile methyl methacrylate failed and triggered evacuation orders for some 50,000 residents spanning six cities. Businesses in the area were also shut down over the Memorial Day holiday weekend.
An Orange County Superior Court judge recently approved the claims program and also a safety plan — required before the facility can restart full operations — that details “enhanced employee” training and improvements to MMA storage, “including new temperature and other gauges capable of continuously monitoring MMA storage tanks and systems, and new equipment capable of inhibiting an unexpected reaction,” GKN Aerospace officials said in an announcement.
The GKN Aerospace facility will also undergo annual audits by an “independent third-party auditor to assess compliance with the safety plan,” the company said.
In the hours following the launch of the claims portal, GKN Aerospace representatives will hold a 6 p.m. community meeting on Tuesday at the Delta Hotels Anaheim Garden Grove to deliver a slide presentation on the program, answer questions from members of the public regarding it and to hear other community concerns.
The company is encouraging community members to submit their questions in advance at gkngg.com.
Attendees can park in the hotel’s rear parking lot and entrances and Garden Grove Police Department officers will be on-site to enforce a bag policy and to “support the event,” the company said.
The slide presentation will be made available in English, Vietnamese, Spanish, and Korean both at the event and online at gkngg.com afterward.
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According to GKN Aerospace, “qualifying claimants” may receive:
• Up to $300 per night for lodging up to five nights, with higher amounts of up to $500 per night or additional nights covered in certain circumstances.
• $50 per person per day for meals for up to five days.
• $20 per household per day for transportation for up to five days, or up to $50 per day with documentation of expenses.
• A $500 payment per household for loss of use of their residence, in addition to other qualifying compensation. This payment is intended to cover disruptions and needs such as toiletries, clothing, pet care, animal boarding and childcare, and requires no additional documentation beyond a completed claim application.
• Up to $500 per day in documented lost wages for hourly employees who missed work due to the evacuation, for a maximum of three working days.
• Up to $5,000 per day in documented lost profits for businesses required to close due to the evacuation.
“Additional information about eligibility, documentation requirements, and how to submit a claim will be available on a dedicated claims website when the program opens,” GKN Aerospace officials said, adding support will be offered in multiple languages and “payments for eligible claims will begin following review and approval of submitted claims.”
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