A shelter-in-place order has been lifted and and LA 1 is back open to traffic. A leak of toxic chlorine at Dow Chemical resulted in a big scare and some drastic safety measures being taken.
A statement from Dow Chemical below.
“Dow’s facility in Plaquemine is in the process of restoring power and steam to the site after experiencing a power interruption Friday afternoon. All employees have been accounted for and there were no reported injuries on site. The 3 Dow employees who were observed at Dow’s on-site Health Services have been released. The chlorine leak reported by Olin Corporation, a third party tenant on site, has been stopped at this time. Safety is our number one priority and we continue to work closely with our local and state agencies.”
Dow Chemical media spokeswoman for Louisiana agreed to a phone interview, but said due to poor phone reception she wasn’t able to reach us.
EARLIER
Iberville Parish officials issued a shelter in place order for people living on Highway 1148 west of the Dow chemical plant in Plaquemine, due to a chlorine gas leak.
Dow officials evacuated employees from some parts of the facility when the leak was reported shortly after 3pm. As of 3:30pm, an official with the Iberville Parish Sheriff’s Office said the leak had been contained, and was not related to fire and smoke seen at the plant, which was described as a controlled burn at a different part of the facility.
Wind is currently blowing westward, and according to Iberville Parish Emergency Preparedness officials, there is a smell of chlorine in the air, even though monitoring equipment does not show harmful levels of the chemical. At this point, the shelter in place order is described as precautionary.
Deputies are closing LA 1 in both directions.
This is a developing story, stay with BRProud.com and Local33 and Fox44 News for more details as they emerge.