165 Brick Store Landing Road

Smyrna, DE 19977

302-659-3362 or 1-877-SAY DEMA

FAX 302-659-6855

News Release

DOW REICHHOLD SPECIALTY LATEX LLC

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

Saturday, August 26, 2006

Time:11:50 a.m.

CONTACT: Rosanne Pack

(302) 659-2210

(302) 222-6573

Melinda Carl
(302) 632-1078

DELAWARE NOTIFICATION SYSTEM MESSAGE ADVISES PUBLIC OF REICHHOLD UPDATE

 

A Delaware Emergency Notification System safety message was recently issued to advise the public of the status of the chemical release incident at Dow Reichhold Specialty Plant located at 144 Fork Branch Road north of Dover. Based on current monitoring at Dow Reichhold, incident specialists, Kent County and the State of Delaware have determined that there are no conditions that would cause adverse health effects at this time. There are no dangerous conditions currently existing beyond the 1,500 foot evacuation zone. Residents within the 1,500 foot radius of the plant are asked to evacuate as a precautionary safety measure. Those outside the evacuation zone radius no longer need to shelter in place. However, they should continue to monitor media outlets and their telephones for additional DENS messages.

The public is asked to understand that emergency responders are constantly reassessing the situation and conditions may change as the incident continues. By monitoring the media and home telephones, the public in the area will be continually advised.


In the event that the incident status changes, immediate DENS phone notification will be enacted to reestablish a shelter-in-place or evacuation requirement.
To reiterate, the previous shelter in place request and air conditioner restrictions have been lifted.


Status reports will be available on your local radio stations or dema.delaware.gov, and emergency notice will be reported through the Delaware Emergency Notification System.


Please do not call 911 for questions or concerns regarding the incident status. It is important to keep these lines open for actual emergencies.


A portion of Rt. 13 at Cheswold remains closed. The tolls, north- and southbound at the Denneys Road exit are waived, all other Route 1 tolls are in effect.


The Delaware Emergency Management Agency (DEMA) recommends that people within a mile of the plant monitor the Emergency Alert System (EAS) to stay informed of the status. EAS stations include:
WDEL-AM 1150
WDSD-FM 92.9
WJBR-AM 1290
WILM-AM 1450
WKEN-AM 1600
WSTW-FM 93.7
WDOV-AM 1410

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