SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO.com) -- The recent grain train derailment in downtown Sioux Falls has some critics wondering if the city is prepared to handle a major emergency, such as a chemical spill.
City emergency manager Regan Smith says the city has a "robust" plan in place.
"We do have emergency operations plans available so we all work together. We have specialized teams, whether it's hazardous materials or search and rescue...," Smith says they are constantly working together to make sure they are ready to make an effective response if a disaster occurs.
Community activist Bruce Danielson says that the grain derailment came within a foot or so of one of the pillars of the downtown Viaduct, so missed being a major event by a "razor thin margin."
City Councilor Pat Starr has also expressed concerns about emergency preparedness in the wake of what he suggests was a close call with the grain train.
"...It was within a couple of feet of taking out one of the support beams of the viaduct," says Starr on KELO Radio's The Greg Belfrage Show.
