US agency praises chem industry's response to hurricanes

23 March 2009 22:19  [Source: ICIS news]

HOUSTON (ICIS news)--Planning made the chemical industry one of the best in reacting to hurricanes Ike and Gustav last summer, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) representatives said on Monday at the American Chemistry Council’s ChemSecure Conference in Houston.

“I deal with 18 sectors, not just chemical, and I would say it was one of the best sectors, or probably the best sector, at getting information out,” said Shawn Graff, director of the National Infrastructure Coordinating Center for the DHS.

“I was very impressed with the forethought many of these companies had in getting generators and such,” said Amy Graydon, branch chief of the Chemical Sector Specific Agency for the DHS. “Waiting until the day before is problematic, to say the least. I would encourage companies to think about business strategy well in advance and how you’re going to operate in the days after.”

Clyde Miller, director of corporate security for BASF, gave the DHS high praise as well, saying the agency made it simple for his company in the days following Ike in September.

“The day after Ike, we had five plants down,” Miller said. “We needed to let everybody know we were going to be flying helicopters over all these plants [on the Texas Gulf coast] to make sure there were no leaks and see what the status was.

“One call to the field office took care of all the notifications for the locals. We didn’t have any complaints or confusion over a low-flying helicopter or any of the other steps we had to take.”

Likewise, Miller said the agency responded well in helping workers helping to restore the plants in the days following the storm.

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By: Ben DuBose
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