“We want to go home,” said Joselyn Vazquez, a Garden Grove resident who was evacuated from her home on Beach Boulevard, one of the main streets that was closed after a chemical leak from an industrial tank in this Orange County city.

The mother of three and her husband, like more than 40,000 people, were evacuated Friday in Orange County. The chemical products warehouse at the GKN Aerospace facilities has been in what has been called a crisis for several days and was on the verge of failure.

Officials say if that happens, thousands of liters of a highly toxic chemical known as methyl methacrylate (MMA) are likely to be spilled or, worse, an explosion.

“The situation remains serious and constantly evolving,” said California State Senator Tom Umberg. "My office is working closely with local, county, state and federal agencies to ensure residents have accurate information, resources and support. The safety of our community is our top priority."

Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in Orange County on Saturday and directed his Office of Emergency Services and other state agencies to provide support to affected residents.

As authorities evaluated the best ways to help the community, residents were distraught over not knowing when they would be able to return home. When walking through the parking lot of one of the evacuation centers in Anaheim, at Savanna High School, it was possible to see that there are families who filled U-Haul vehicles with their belongings and others who only filled their cars with what they could, thinking that they would return home soon.

"I only packed the children's things: their clothes, their diapers. In fact, I'm already running out of formula for my baby; we didn't have much time for anything else," said Vázquez while arranging his things in his van. “My husband, my 5-month-old baby and I slept here in the car, and my mother and my other two children slept inside, in the (evacuation) center.”

“It's very scary”: evacuees seek help

Mike Lyster, the city of Anaheim's communications director, said Saturday afternoon that the school center had capacity for 250 people and was already approaching that capacity. He told La Opinión that they would be evaluating what other shelter centers they could open in the city to help people who had not found a place to stay. Savannah High School is one of the few that accepts families with pets.

In Fountain Valley, at Freedom Hall in Mile Square Regional Park, the Red Cross is also assisting residents, but the situation looks the same. Some families that La Opinión spoke with in the center's parking lot said they were unable to get a shelter bed, like Rosa Chavarría, who has a family of six. She said they planned to sleep in their truck and were parked waiting to hear more about other places to go.

“It's very scary not knowing what is going to happen,” Chavarría confessed. "We don't know what we're going to do, it's hard; there are many people who don't get a bed in the shelters, so we have to sleep in our cars and we're going to be paying rent for homes where we're not even living."

Dangerous increase in temperature in the tank

Among the problems that have led authorities to evacuate tens of thousands of people from the city of Garden Grove and surrounding areas are the loss of control of the valves and the increase in temperature inside the tank, which had already reached the volatility range between 90 and 100 degrees, according to Chief Craig Covey, incident commander of the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA).

The 7,000-gallon tank containing methyl methacrylate, a toxic chemical used to make resins and plastics, could also cause an explosion in a nearby 15,000-gallon tank containing the same substance, Covey told NBC News on Saturday.

Risks to the respiratory system

Michael Kleinman, a professor at the University of California, Irvine and a faculty member at the Joe C. Wen School of Population and Public Health, said the real risk here is a sudden rupture.

He explained that if large quantities of the toxic substance were spilled from the tanks or released into the air after a fire or explosion, the population could be at risk of becoming ill or suffering severe irritation.

“This chemical substance is especially aggressive for the human respiratory system and, depending on the amount inhaled, MMA can cause everything from a sore throat and cough to dizziness, nausea and, at higher levels, damage to the nervous system,” Kleinman told La Opinión.

Kleinman noted that in the event of a spill, the chemical poses a long-term environmental risk as it is likely to reach the ground, where it could eventually leak into the groundwater system. He said less is known about the effects if the tank explodes.

“I have numerous health problems, and I live in a neighborhood with many older people who also have health problems,” revealed Garden Grove resident Max Vo. “This chemical makes it difficult to breathe and some people who were closer have even suffered dizziness.”

Kleinman, the public health expert, noted that masks, like those that have become widespread since the COVID-19 pandemic, would not protect against those chemicals.

"COVID masks were designed to protect against particles. This is an organic vapor that would likely pass through them," he explained. “Emergency services at the scene would be wearing respiratory protection with chemical filters, something that is not available to most people.”

They ask for a different location of industrial facilities

Mrs. Chavarría, who also packed blankets in the trunk of her truck, said that, although she knows that the authorities are doing their best to find how to help them, she hopes that in the future they will think about how these projects and companies can affect the neighborhoods around them.

“The next time one of these companies wants to open one of these factories near a neighborhood and a school, knowing the possibility of an error, they should think about it before approving it,” Chavarría suggested. "Why don't they make these types of factories in a field? That would reduce the number of people who have to be evacuated to a minimum."

Back in the middle of Savannah High School, a lady was walking through the parking lot with her two little daughters, one of them dressed in a princess outfit.

“Just look at how I bring them, I'm even embarrassed, but we couldn't bring more than what we have on because the police were already telling us to leave,” said María. “We have nowhere to go, there are no answers and no end in sight.”

Discounted hotels

California State Senator Tom Umberg, who represents the area, said the temperature reached 100 degrees during Saturday night's operation, the highest on the thermometer. He called the possible release of pressure “a positive thing.”

Even so, the county remained in a state of emergency and all those who are affected can go to the evacuation centers; There is also a list of hotels offering discounts to affected families.

Meanwhile, other businesses like La Pawnaderia in Downey, which is a bakery for dogs and other pets, are helping however they can; He opened a GoFundMe account that he will use to help family members find a place to stay temporarily. And I also created a list on Amazon with essential products for pets.

Evacuation centers available