New Jersey village told to prepare for evacuation as EPA deals with mystery chemicals

A toxic cleanup in a quiet section of New Jersey could soon force residents to flee their homes.

Schools and homeowners in parts of Monmouth County have been told to be ready to evacuate at a moment’s notice, as Environmental Protection Agency crews do cleanup work at a former industrial plant in the village of Farmingdale near the Howell Township border, NBC New York reported.

The former Compounders Inc. chemical plant has long been shut down, but more than 400 rusting, abandoned drums remain, and it’s not clear how safe it is to move them. For decades, chemicals were mixed for customers on-site.

In February, local firefighters were dispatched to the site and discovered materials burning inside an old metal structure. They also found the drums and smelled a chemical odor and alerted environmental officials.

One resident told NBC New York she remembers decades ago when her children were coming home from school, and they saw drum lids exploding — up in the air.

That kind of thing is still entirely possible at the site because no one knows for sure what chemicals are still present, officials warn.

With about 4,000 students going to school within the one-mile hot zone that includes Howell, residents have been urged to be ready at any time if the chemicals catch on fire.

“Everybody should have an evacuation plan or get-out-of-here plan just in case,” said Howell-Farmingdale OEM Director Victor Cook.

However, the EPA does feel it has the situation under as much control as it can without knowing what’s on the site.