The order has been lifted for Texas City residents to "shelter in place" after power outages shut down three refineries and a chemical plant, according to the AP.
聽聽聽聽 Homeland Security coordinator Bruce Clawson says a "shelter-in-place" order for Texas City was lifted early Tuesday afternoon. 聽聽聽聽 Residents had been advised twice since Monday night to stay inside after power failures shut down a Dow Chemical plant and three refineries, including a BP unit where a 2005 explosion killed 15 people. 聽聽聽聽 Officials say there have been no immediate reports of hazardous emissions. It's not yet known what's caused the outages.
The posted , which they say shows some of the overnight flaring activity at BP's refinery.
One of the BP units is the same facility where an explosion in 2005 killed 15 people. BP was fined $87 million by the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. But despite the tragedy, many in the community have remained loyal to the facility, according to
Despite the deaths and the chemical releases, most Texas City residents remain loyal to the company. BP has donated millions of dollars to a community center, parks and the local high school, and people here know their town of 44,000 would wither if the refinery was closed. BP is not only the town's biggest employer; it's also its best-paying, offering starting salaries of $62,000.
Texas City, about is no stranger to industrial accidents. It is home to the largest US industrial disaster in history. In April of 1947, 2,300 pounds of ammonium nitrate exploded on a French ship docked in the town's port. The blast Here areof that 1947 disaster.
