Safety Remains the Top Priority as Industry Prepares for Tropical Storm Francine

Safety Remains the Top Priority as Industry Prepares for Tropical Storm Francine

BATON ROUGE, Sept. 9, 2024 – As Tropical Storm Francine approaches the Louisiana coastline, local industry is taking proactive steps to safeguard employees, facilities, and the community. Currently, sites are preparing by staging essential supplies and equipment to facilitate potential shutdowns. Final decisions on shutdowns will be made within the next 24-48 hours, allowing sufficient time to safely reduce operations if necessary. Outside activities, including maintenance and construction work, will be suspending during storm conditions to ensure the safety of all personnel.

“Our local industry is experienced with the risks that come with weather events, and each site has specific plans in place to address any emergency situation,” said Connie Fabre, GBRIA President & CEO.

Emergency plans are regularly tested and drilled to ensure that they are effective and up to date. Site plans are developed in coordination with state and local emergency management officials and outline criteria that initiate different actions, such as shutting down the facility when the wind reaches a certain speed, or the water level rises above a certain height.

In the event of a shutdown, essential personnel will remain onsite to monitor the facility and collaborate with local authorities, ensuring the highest level of safety for everyone involved. The safety of employees and the surrounding community remains at the foremost concern as facilities navigate the storm.

Once the industrial sites have been secured, plant emergency personnel are also on standby to provide assistance to the community if needed.

Industry Preparedness and Recovery in the Face of Severe Storms

• In the hours leading up to a major storm's landfall, manufacturing facilities typically evacuate all non-essential personnel and begin shutting down or scaling back operations.
• Once conditions are deemed safe, assessment teams evaluate damage. If damage or flooding is identified, repairs must be completed before operations can resume.
• Several factors can impact the timeline for restarting facilities, including the availability of materials, the supply of electricity, and access to water needed for cooling process units.
• Industrial manufacturing facilities are complex operations; restarting them is not as simple as flipping a switch. Once it is determined that it is safe to begin, the process of bringing the facility back to full capacity can take several days. This is because the various process units and equipment need to be brought online in a controlled, step-by-step manner to ensure a safe and smooth restart.
• If the facilities are undamaged or repairs have been completed, and supporting infrastructure—such as pipelines for oil and natural gas—is intact and ready, operators will proceed with restarting production.