Midland, MI - September 21, 2005
In anticipation of the approach of Hurricane Rita along the Texas Gulf Coast, The Dow Chemical Company announced that its sites in the Freeport and Houston areas are implementing emergency plans to safely shut down operations. The sites include Freeport, Deer Park, Clear Lake and LaPorte, as well as the Union Carbide facilities in Texas City and Seadrift and the Dow Haltermann location in Houston. Dow's Houston office centers are closing on Thursday and Friday.
Predictions have the storm making landfall just south of Freeport this Saturday morning. In Louisiana, Dow's site in Plaquemine and Union Carbide's St. Charles site in Hahnville are monitoring the hurricane's path and are implementing various stages of their hurricane preparedness plans as conditions warrant.
Dow's Emergency Operations Process Center (EOPC) will be in continuous communication with local authorities to ensure their respective plans and actions are consistent with each other.
Citing the safety of its employees as its first priority, Dow is urging its employees in the affected areas to take appropriate precautions to prepare for the storm and to adhere to any mandatory evacuations. The Company has issued a travel ban to all Dow Texas Gulf Coast sites, except for returning travelers. A travel ban remains in effect for all travel to Louisiana areas impacted by Hurricane Katrina.
Dow is a leader in science and technology, providing innovative chemical, plastic and agricultural products and services to many essential consumer markets. With annual sales of $40 billion, Dow serves customers in 175 countries and a wide range of markets that are vital to human progress: food, transportation, health and medicine, personal and home care, and building and construction, among others. Committed to the principles of sustainable development, Dow and its 43,000 employees seek to balance economic, environmental and social responsibilities. References to "Dow" or the "Company" mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted.
For Editorial Information:
Terri McNeill
The Dow Chemical Company
(989) 636-0626
