Residents told to leave while leak is fixed

FREEPORT — Dow Chemical Co. officials went door to door Monday evening in a
small section of northernmost Freeport advising residents of 65 homes they
should leave for the next three to five days.

Company officials discovered a leak in a urethane pipe that will require
the line to be dug up, and the residents are being asked to evacuate as a
precaution, Dow spokeswoman Tracie Copeland said. Dow will pay for the residents
to stay in a hotel, shelter for their animals and transportation for kids to
school until it is deemed safe to return.

“We’re being very proactive and this is a safety precaution,” Copeland
said. “We believe everything is fine, but we just want to make sure. We don’t
want to risk anything, especially the well-being of our neighbors. We are going
to do everything we can to keep the community safe.”

Urethane is used in the production of mattresses, pillows and other
cushions, Copeland said.

Go figure. . . a leak is dangerous, but we can sleep on this stuff?