Accident Causes Evacuation
By: Web Producer
Updated: February 14, 2008
North and Southbound Highway 41 in Henderson was closed Thursday morning around 9:00 a.m. due to an accident involving a semi truck carrying explosives used for mining. As a precautionary measure people within a half-mile distance around the scene are were evacuated while clean-up was underway. The accident happened near the Tobacco Mart on Highway 41. The area of Watson Lane to the Twin Bridges was the affected area. Motorists were not allowed through the area for about an hour.
Residents were notified by a new warning system in Henderson. Its a reverse 911 call, where residents and businesses, both published, and not published are notified of an emergency situation via phone. This is the second time the county has used this system. The first time was in last weeks storm. This operation however was on a much smaller scale, with about 360 residents notified in a matter of minutes.
Officials on the scene were planning a second evacuation and road closure to safely remove the explosive filled trailer from the area, but at the last minute, that plan was no longer needed because the explosives had not been damaged. This allowed the trailer to be moved without incident.
It only took about an hour for traffic to resume, business to re-open, and residents to return home.
