DEER PARK, Texas – Harris County Pct. Commissioner Garcia joined Deer Park Mayor Mouton Friday afternoon in a news conference where he called out PEMEX’s communication after the deadly incident.
“Every incident, as we know, is a learning opportunity. And here, we learned that not all our industry neighbors are prepared to communicate effectively during an emergency,” the commissioner said.
The petroleum company confirmed two people are dead and 13 others were injured after a hydrogen sulfide gas release at their Deer Park facility. Harris County Sheriff, Ed Gonzalez said 35 people were treated at the site Thursday.
Commissioner calls out petroleum company
As Commissioner Garcia thanked emergency responders and local leaders for their fast response, he criticized PEMEX for its struggle to get timely information to emergency crews and the public on safety, such as air monitoring
“Last night, we struggled to get timely information from PEMEX about air monitoring that was happening at their fence line,” Garcia said. “This hampered the ability of our first responders to dispatch, and it required that we dispatch our own pollution control mobile monitoring team, which is tasked with providing real-time data to residents about air quality in their neighborhoods.”
READ MORE: Deer Park’s emergency alert system failed during deadly PEMEX gas leak; here’s what we know
He said PEMEX also failed to utilize the online CAER notification system a line of communication for alerting people to potential hazards produced during an industrial event and emergencies.
“In fact, the only message posted by the facility indicated only routine flaring,” Garcia said. “Finally, PEMEX failed to provide a suitable spokesperson during press conferences and didn’t offer to speak directly to the community until emergency responders were being demobilized and the incident moved into a recovery operation.”
Because of these communication failures, Garcia said it left the community wondering whether they were safe and he called that unacceptable.
What happened
The incident happened around 4:40 p.m. at one of the plant’s operating units, involved a release of hydrogen sulfide, a highly toxic and flammable gas. The release prompted emergency agencies to issue a shelter-in-place order for the City of Deer Park and surrounding areas, which was lifted later that evening. Flaring at the site, part of the process to safely contain the gas release, finished early this morning.
PEMEX confirmed they are working closely with federal, state, and local agencies as they continue to investigate the cause of the incident. More updates will be provided as additional information becomes available.
Timeline of the incident and response
The incident began when hydrogen sulfide, a hazardous gas known for its “rotten egg” odor, was released at the PEMEX plant around 4:40 p.m. Thursday. That led to the evacuation of the facility and sent plumes of gas into the surrounding area.
The release caused immediate concern, and multiple emergency agencies, including Deer Park’s Emergency Management Team, the Pasadena Fire Department, and Harris County Pollution Control, responded to monitor air quality and assess the risk to the community.
The entire City of Deer Park was under a shelter-in-place order, later extended to north Pasadena. Highways were shut down, and residents in the affected areas reported smelling the noxious gas for hours before being given the all-clear.
The shelter-in-place was lifted around 9:30 p.m., but residents continued to voice concerns over lingering odors and the safety of the air quality.
The investigation into the PEMEX facility’s gas release is ongoing, and officials are working to determine what led to the hydrogen sulfide leak.
Guy Hackwell, PEMEX Deer Park CEO, addressed the situation in a statement released Friday.
“Yesterday was a tragic day for us here at PEMEX Deer Park. We are deeply saddened that two people died at our site and that other workers were hospitalized. Our thoughts are with the loved ones of the deceased and the workers who were impacted,” said Hackwell.