Garden Grove chemical tank update: Cleanup efforts to begin and legal claims mount

The following schools will be closed until further notice.

Garden Grove School District:

• Barker Elementary School

• Bryant

• Carver

• Enders Elementary School

• Garden Park

• Lawrence Elementary School

• Wakeham Elementary School

• Patton Elementary School

• Bell Intermediate School

• Alamitos Intermediate

• Pacifica High School

• Rancho Alamitos High School

• Skylark Preschool

• Maintenance and Operations Facility

• Lampson Bus Yard

Magnolia School District:

• Esther L. Walter School (students relocated to Jonas E. Salk)

• Robert M. Pyles STEM Academy (students relocated to Mattie Lou Maxwell Elementary)

Savanna School District:

• Hansen Elementary (students were split between Holder School and Twila Reid Elementary School)

Westminster School District:

• Finley, Johnson, and Sequoia Schools relocated to Stacy Middle School

• Anderson, Fryberger, Meairs, and Schmitt relocated to Warner Middle School

Cypress School District:

• Frank Vessels Elementary

• Juliet Morris Elementary

City News Service, Inc. contributed to this report.

Mandatory evacuations have expanded for some 50,000 residents in the Garden Grove area, according to an internal briefing memo reviewed by ABC News.

There are multiple public facilities nearby -- including schools, hospitals, nursing homes, fire and law enforcement stations -- critical infrastructure, and essential services, all currently subject to mandatory evacuation and ongoing response operations.

Multiple roads have also been closed off in the evacuation zone. Evacuation centers have been established across Garden Grove, Cypress, Stanton City Hall, Anaheim, and Buena Park, the memo said.

ABC News contributed to this report.

GKN Aerospace, the company responsible for the unstable chemical tank in Garden Grove, is already facing a class action lawsuit.

GKN Aerospace, the company responsible for the unstable chemical tank in Garden Grove, is already facing a class action lawsuit over the potential disaster.

Two residents who live in the evacuation zone are named as plaintiffs in the lawsuit, but the class action status covers anyone in the evacuation zone. With 50,000 under evacuation orders, the number of plaintiffs is expected to grow.

The lawyers behind the suit say evacuated families deserve answers, accountability and representation now. They say they're focused on protecting property rights, preserving evidence and making sure residents have a voice.

"You got to consider the fact that when you're storing highly toxic, highly volatile chemical compounds, you take on a responsibility. These are things that can be lethal in very small doses. and can create massive damage. So, if you don't act in a prudent way, you become responsible for your actions," said Filippo Marchino, the founder and managing partner of the X-Law Group. "So, to boil it down to answer your question, yes, we have a strict liability claim, but we also have simpler claims, like for example, negligence, which are equally powerful under the law."

The X-Law Group and Presidio Law Firm are leading the class action lawsuit.

While not making a direct comment on the lawsuit, the company did release a statement which says, in part:

"We are continuing to work around the clock with the OCFA, the EPA and all relevant federal, state and local agencies to mitigate the ongoing risk of a leak... We apologize for the ongoing disruption this incident is causing, and our priority remains its safe resolution, so that residents can return to their homes as quickly as possible."

Attorneys point out that the active costs of displacement can add up very quickly, for example, the price of eating out, getting gas and paying for a hotel.

When you factor in the loss of the use of your own property, the attorneys believe conservative estimates for the damages could reach hundreds of millions, if not billions of dollars.

Most of the available shelters for Orange County residents are at or near capacity, with tens of thousands of residents displaced.

The evacuation zone for a toxic chemical crisis unfolding in Orange County covers the west side of Garden Grove, the entire community of Stanton, and small portions of West Anaheim, Cypress and Buena Park. There are nine shelters set up, and almost all of them are completely full.

It was another night away from home for tens of thousands of Orange County residents. The threat of a catastrophic explosion or a toxic leak at a Garden Grove plant forced mandatory evacuations.

Many families are spending a second night sleeping on cots at John F. Kennedy High School in La Palma.

Ju Pyo, her husband and three children had no luck finding a hotel room, so they came to the shelter.

"We are the last family allowed to come in at this point. It was like 10:30 or 11 in the morning. So we are lucky," Pyo said.

Several shelters have been opened to support residents of Garden Grove and at least a half dozen surrounding communities forced to evacuate because of the danger.

The Red Cross is providing the families with meals and supplies.

"Gotta go somewhere safe, right? Gotta think about the kids," said Jessica Gonzalez of Stanton.

Some residents are expressing frustration about the amount of time it's taking to solve the crisis.

"If there's an explosion, there's going to be stuff in the air, and if there's a leak, there's going to be stuff in the air. So, what is the choice?" said resident Lisa. "We all want to be in our homes."

Others say they don't want to take chances. They will wait until the danger is over.

"They're all experts working all together to find an answer," said Pyo.