Midland, MI - September 24, 2005
The Dow Chemical Company reported today that its initial inspection of sites owned or controlled by Dow or by Union Carbide along the Gulf Coast indicate that Hurricane Rita caused no significant structural damage to any of its facilities.
Hurricane crews are in the process of conducting more detailed inspections of the Company's seven sites along the Texas Gulf Coast as well as its two large sites in Louisiana and expect to have a fuller understanding of their status by tomorrow morning.
The supply of fuel gas and transportation logistics around the Gulf of Mexico, which were already significantly impacted as a consequence of Hurricane Katrina at the end of August, are expected to present a continuing challenge to industry throughout the region for several more weeks.
Dow's sites at Freeport, Deer Park, Clear Lake and LaPorte, as well as the Union Carbide facilities in Texas City and Seadrift and the Dow Haltermann site in Houston were all safely shut down before dawn last Friday, 24 hours before the hurricane made landfall. The Company's Houston business centers were also closed.
Dow's sites in Louisiana, Plaquemine and St. Charles Operations in Hahnville, tracked the hurricane's path and took action as necessary in line with their established hurricane preparedness plans. Neither was required to shut down operations but adjusted production rates as necessary.
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:
Chris Huntley
The Dow Chemical Company
(989) 636-2876
