Entering the Gonzalez residence on County Road 107-I just outside of Seminole, is like walking into a life that was put on pause.
The family was forced to leave in a matter of minutes after an oil well blowout released poisonous hydrogen sulfide gas (H2S) into the neighborhood on December 8, 2015.
“We had to leave because we were going to die,” said Elizabeth Gonzalez in Spanish, with her daughter Eunice translating.
“No clothes, just the clothes we put on that day,” Elizabeth explained. “It was hard for us. A struggle.”
In the days that followed, neighbors were allowed back into their homes. The energy company, Tabula Rasa, paid for food and motels for a few days.
“We went in and we also killed the well with drilling fluids and we feel that the well is safe for folks to return to their homes,” said Tabula Rasa Chief Financial Officer Russell Martin, a week after the gas leak.
“They never asked personally what did we need, when they themselves took us out (of our home),” Elizabeth said in response.
Her husband, Carlos, said it was “hurtful” that he and his family couldn’t return home. The Gonzalez family doesn’t believe the property is in a condition where it is safe to live.
“The house they’ve worked for, the land they’ve worked for is gone,” said their daughter, Eunice Gonzalez. “Nothing. No clothes. No nothing. We have nothing to go to.”
The Gonzalez family, while not the only family experiencing hardships following the incident, are believed to be the only people at “ground zero” who did not return home.
“It’s just weird to see this and not be able to take what it ours,” said Eunice. She said the family is concerned about touching anything in the home, because the contents of the residence would have to be cleaned before they can live there.
Their clothes remained hanging in the closets. Their beds were unmade from the day they had to quickly leave the house a year ago. Cups and dishes were still placed in the cabinets. A dead plant was in the center of the house.
Carlos and Elizabeth said they do not like to talk much about what happened, and have only returned to the property once or twice to remove the food that was left in the home after they cut the power.
Perhaps the most eerie moment about walking into the Gonzalez residence, is seeing their Christmas tree from 2015, standing tall in the living room, covered in decorations. A single present lay on the floor, wrapped, with no plan to be opened, ever.
“Still there the way we put it,” Elizabeth mentioned.
“We don’t feel safe here. We just don’t feel safe. We’re always going to have that fear that something could happen, because something did happen,” said Carlos, adding that they are living in a home they bought last year that they planned to rent out. Instead, they have fixed it up to live there themselves.
“It’s not easy for us, but what can we do,” said Eunice.
