LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The company behind the Louisville plant that exploded last week is now making its team available to help residents in the area.

Two people died and 11 others were injured in an explosion at the Givaudan Sense Colour plant in Clifton last week.

The help comes after a tense community meeting on Monday night. People voiced their frustrations and demanded answers about damages, rebuilding plans and future operations.

Givaudan will have representatives in Louisville available to meet one-on-one with residents starting Tuesday evening. Meetings will begin at 7 p.m. and representatives will be there until 9 p.m. at United Crescent Hill Ministries in the Clifton neighborhood. 

After more than a week since the explosion turned some people's lives upside down, Givaudan is following through on a promise made at Monday night's community meeting.

"We are displaced, our daughter can't sleep in her bed," a woman said during the meeting Monday.

The company will meet with impacted individuals to address specific issues, and have its third party contractor on site which is helping with structural and damage assessments. 

"What are you going to do to help us feel safe in our homes quickly," a person said during the meeting.

Representatives from Givaudan will be set up at United Crescent Hill Ministries throughout this week. People will need to have a photo ID and proof of address. The office hours are scheduled for:

  • Tuesday, Nov. 19 from 7-9 p.m., outside under the breezeway at the back entrance
  • Wednesday, Nov. 20 from 4-7 p.m. in the main room inside
  • Friday, Nov. 22 from 3-5 p.m. in the main room inside
  • Saturday, Nov. 23 from 10 a.m. to noon in the main room inside

"Certainly I think that's when a lot of issues will be resolved," said Gregory Fields, a nearby resident who experienced some damage.

Along with fixing the damage, residents near the plant want answers.

Givaudan said in addition to other government investigations, the company has launched its own investigation.

"I guarantee you everything will be fully vetted and fully looked into," said Ann Leonard, Givaudan president.

That's another promise attorney Lonita Baker hopes Givaudan will commit to.

Baker, Ben Crump and Mark Lanier have been retained the family of Keven Dawson Jr., who was one of two men killed in the explosion.

Baker is also working with Angelita Oldham, an employee who raised her concerns with the cooking vessel, which was cited as the cause for the explosion by the ATF.

"The company and investigators definitely should be taking her concerns and her complaints and the information that she has seriously," Baker said.

Just days before the explosion, an employee reportedly warned co-workers, including Oldham, about a critical piece of equipment at the plant—Cooker 6.

According to workers, the employee explicitly told them not to walk past Cooker 6, as it had been overheating for several days. This warning, issued five days before the tragic incident, raises serious questions about whether the equipment should have been taken out of service sooner.

The explosion was the second in just over two decades at the plant, which has been operated by Switzerland-based Givaudan since 2021. One worker was killed in 2003 when a tank overheated and burst, according to federal investigators' conclusion of what likely happened at the facility then operated by D.D. Williamson & Co.

Residents with damage or questions can call Givaudan’s hotline at 800-856-3333, or fill out a form online, to report issues.

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