PORT NECHES, Texas - Officials in the Texas coastal city of Port Neches lifted a voluntary evacuation order Thursday that was issued overnight because of concerns about air quality following a pair of chemical plant explosions last week. Officials issued the voluntary order for the city of roughly 13,000 late Wednesday after elevated levels of the chemical butadiene were detected. The evacuation order was lifted hours later after the levels of butadiene dropped to a safe level, emergency management officials said. The recurring explosions have renewed calls by coastal residents and critics for tougher industry oversight. Speaking after the Port Neches explosions, Toby Baker, the agency’s executive director, criticized “an unacceptable trend of significant incidents” within the past year.

Source: thestar December 05, 2019 17:26 UTC