Day 0: Explosion
Day 0-7: Numerous inaccurate reports of casualties and circumstances leading up to the explosion. Press orgy for first three days with wall-to-wall coverage. Lawsuits filed by injured parties.
Day 8-30: Evidence of gross incompetence, massive safety violations, and prior history of safety violations. Non-existent or lax enforcement by regulatory agencies revealed.
Day 31-365: Calls for hearings at federal, state and local levels. Hearings reveal naked greed as the driving force for safety shortcuts, non-existent safety training, dangerous practices and inadequate training and record keeping. Hearings also demonstrate that regulatory agencies responsible for enforcing health and safety laws are either inadequately staffed, or totally under the sway of the companies they regulate.
Year 1-2: Lawsuits settled with non-disclosure covenants. Company refuses to admit any liability or negligence. Fines are levied, but are for a fraction of the CEO's pay. Fines are also appealed.
Year 3: Laws are proposed based on the recommendations of various blue-ribbon committees to help prevent future accidents of this type. Campaign contributions from the chemical industry immediately begin flowing into the coffers of Republicans and Vichy Democrats to stall or derail any such laws. Few laws make it out of committee, and the few that do are filibustered. Harry Reid threatens to issue a sternly worded letter about possibly reconsidering having a meeting to discuss the prospect that filibuster rules might need "tweaking".
Year 4: Everyone has pretty much forgotten about the disaster except for the families of the dead and maimed.
Year 5+: Elected officials and legislative staffers leaving "public service" find "highly compensated" positions awaiting them in the chemical industry, while victims of the
tragedy deal with depression, divorce, drug/alcohol addiction, health problems, suicide and poverty.
Year 10: Fines, much reduced after appeals (from insignificant to laughable) are finally paid.
Anytime: New plant explosion. Rinse and repeat.