Companies Leave Some Residents In The Dark After Chemical Emergencies

"Mary Gonzalez wanted to know why there wasn’t an alarm when a tank holding toxic chemicals caught fire in Deer Park in March.

“When there’s an accident, we don’t know about it,” she said during a town hall meeting at Milby High School to talk about the Intercontinental Terminals Co. fire, which sent a plume of dark smoke over the Houston area for days.

She’s not alone in her frustration.

Residents have grown increasingly wary and distrustful of the petrochemical companies that help power the local economy, demanding more accountability and transparency about fires and environmental incidents and telling officials that they often feel left in the dark."

Perla Trevizo reports for the Houston Chronicle June 3, 2019.