Meanwhile, back on Long Street

I checked in with my source who lives one block from the Clarence Center crash site, Ma Chase. Life still hasn't returned to normal, as you could imagine.

Let's start with the bad news. In a tragic twist of events, one of her best friends happened to be on the plane. Apparently the woman had tried to fly to St. Louis for a wedding, had a flight cancelled because of the winds, and caught a flight back to Buffalo. As Mrs. Chase said, you know how the story ends.

Otherwise (a very weak word under the circumstances), things are OK. The area has been cut off from the rest of civilization to cut down on the gawkers. Mrs. Chase said roadblocks are up well north and south of the site on Goodrich Road (for those who know the area). You need ID to get in and out. I assume it's a similar story east and west.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Chase has done interviews with the Washington Post, a Swiss newspaper, and a Canadian television outlet.

She has not taken a walk down the street. Since this was the day to look for victims and wreckage, she felt no need to go by. She did add that she could see all of the flashing lights from her front porch.

I also talked with Don Smith, a high school friend (in fact, my first in Clarence when I moved in) who lives a few blocks north of the site. He said he heard a loud noise outside that sounded like a big snowplow or something going by. Don didn't hear the massive explosion, but said he could see the fire from his second floor window. I told Don that whenever he crosses the street in Clarence Center from now on, he should look left, right ... and up.

Be sure to check out Glenn Locke's blog with an e-mail from Ron Guido, who used to live in the house.