RAAP issues update on missing totes
Radford, Virginia (Jan. 13, 2025) — This is an update on the totes missing from the Radford Army Ammunition Plant in Radford, Virginia, since the record-breaking Hurricane Helene flood.
Two additional totes have been found and reported to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. The totes were found by Tangent Outfitters, the contractor BAE Systems is using to continue searching for the totes.
To date, nine of the 13 totes have been located and/or recovered.
Tangent Outfitters are experts on the New River and local to Pembroke, Virginia. They began their search on Dec. 27, and we are expecting that local expertise will be pivotal towards helping us identify areas where the totes may be. They are using aerial assets, boats, and employees on foot. They are searching a 70-mile area from Radford to the Blue Stone Dam. The search is ongoing with no current date for completion.
BAE Systems has spoken with local authorities along the New River to identify who to contact if a tote is found. Should the community locate one or more of these containers local authorities should be contacted via their non-emergency line. Individuals should not attempt to touch, move, or empty the totes. The local authorities know how to connect with the Radford Army Ammunition Plant, who will coordinate safe removal and recovery.
January 14, 2025 @ 1:24 pm
I would request that you do additional investigative reporting to answer the following question; to what extent were the dangerous contents of the totes found still contained within? How extensive is the ‘spill’ if any? What are the environmental impacts so far?
January 20, 2025 @ 4:01 pm
This could be a fascinating story if someone asked questions.
How many (hundreds of?) gallons — of what chemicals? — were in these cutely named “totes”? How far did the recovered ones travel? Did any of them leak?
What would those chemicals do to fish, birds, swimmers or kayakers? Are fishing folks being advised not to eat fish caught within a certain distance or period of time?
Will the chemicals float downstream to West Virginia or sink to the bottom of the New River and be stirred up again in the future?