HOUSTON – Threats of flooding, explosions and fires apparently are not the only possible hazards for vacated residents in Crosby, near the Arkema chemical plant.
"See this back door, right there. They looted us," Peggy Collins, who lives about a half-a-mile from the facility, said Monday.
Collins filed a police report stating six welding machines were stolen from her home and workshop, during the six-day mandatory evacuation period.
Collins' home never flooded, and she said that she never would have left. She places the blame for the thefts on both the unknown thieves and her corporate neighbor, Arkema Inc.
"I want to once again apologize to the people of Crosby," Richard Rowe, CEO of Arkema Inc. North America, said.
Rowe said his company is dedicated to helping affected residents back on track.
A hotline was in place Monday for residents with questions and claims: 1-877-4-ARKEMA
Meanwhile, a small group of out-of-towners protested in front of the facility, Monday.
Representatives with refusefacism.org brought a list of demands to hand to company executives but were stopped at the complex's front gate by special agents with the FBI.
"The ... (upshot) was they refused to allow us to deliver this to anyone with Arkema," Travis Morales, a longtime activist, said.
Morales and his group demand that Arkema disclose each and every chemical held at the facility, and provide long-term heath care to nearby residents.
