LOUISVILLE, Ky. — As smoke filled the Clifton neighborhood from the Givaudan plant explosion, head baker Shayla Weathers at Bae's Bakery watched her world go dark as the power flickered out.
“It was scary. I thought a car ran into the building or a bomb fell on the building and it was all gonna come crashing down on me," she said.
Co-owner Abigail McGreevy is grateful the business could open Wednesday, spared the fate many other Frankfort Avenue businesses saw — shattered windows.
“We have friends as well who have lost their apartment buildings due to this," McGreevy said. "It just seems a bit negligent to have something that can be catastrophic located so close to homes. Especially with a history of this happening.”
Next door at Guestroom Records, co-owner Lisa Foster echoed the concern. Although the vinyl fell off the walls, all that shattered was the glass out front. By Wednesday morning, they already had it replaced.
“I definitely would prefer there not to be the potential for large explosions in neighborhoods where people live," she said. "We’re really lucky cause we work here and we had minor damage. But thinking about people who live right next door is pretty horrifying.”
Those horrified by the blast "want the company gone," Metro Councilman Andrew Owen said. He represents the Clifton neighborhood in district nine.
He believes the Givaudan plant couldn’t make it through modern zoning regulations. Its spot in the neighborhood, he said, was grandfathered in. The damage neighbor’s experienced from this year's blast, he called it the worst.
"If they have damage, that’s something that’s gonna have to be dealt with. And from my perspective that’s all liability that lies with the company. But that will be an ongoing conversation, I’m sure," he said.
A conversation for another day. Owen is working on setting up an information center residents can come to and figure out if they can be reimbursed for damages.
“I grieve for the families that were involved and the folks that lost their lives, you know, just going to work to make a living. And unfortunately, they can’t come home to their families – wives, husbands, kids – I mean, it’s sad," Weathers said.
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