GRANITEVILLE, S.C. - Many of the people who’ve been evacuated from Graniteville are now in shelters.

The full impact on the thousands affected is sure to become more obvious, but it’s an accident that has already sent several people scrambling for help.

As emergency crews descended on Aiken County, people who live here were warning their neighbors.

“A lot of people I called had not been notified. They didn’t know anything about it,” said Thomas Scott.

He lives just a 1/4 mile from where the trains collided. His niece, her husband and three children live across the street.

He said, “They was in pretty bad shape, the guy, he was sick. Her husband, their eyes and throat was burning.”

The fumes were so strong that Thomas was forced to turn back when he tried to help.

He said, “It just overcome me in the truck so I had to turn around and get back to fresh air.”

The two-train crash and word of contamination sent dozens upon dozens to decontamination sites. It closed down businesses and kept employees from going to work in all Avondale Mills plants in Warrenville and Graniteville.

“It was not a safe situation and we wanted our folks to stay out of that area,” said Sharon Rogers of Avondale Mills.

It sent law enforcement blocking off all of Graniteville.

At noon, a state of emergency declaration coming from the governor’s office brought officials from all levels of government.

If you have animals and you had to evacuated, you can take them to a shelter specifically set up for that reason. There are three options to choose from, the Aiken County Animal Shelter and the North Augusta facility, along with the Aiken SPCA.