Valero Sets Up Payouts for Victims of Gas Leak
By Vicki Vaughan, San Antonio Express-News
Aug. 8–PORT ARTHUR — Valero Energy Corp. is writing checks for as much as $1,500 and paying medical bills for some residents who needed attention following a July 28 gas leak at the company’s huge refinery here.
Some who called a toll-free number set up by the company are getting a $500 payment from Valero, while those who were sent to area hospitals are receiving larger amounts, Valero spokesman Bill Day said Tuesday.
On July 28, 17 people who live near Valero’s refinery were taken to three area hospitals following a gas leak that residents said smelled like rotten eggs. Many residents, even those not taken to hospitals, complained of burning eyes, headaches and vomiting.
Valero is in the process of talking with affected residents, Day said, and each claim is being handled on an individual basis.
“We have a good idea of the affected area, and we’re sending adjusters through the neighborhood,” he said.
Hundreds of residents have called a toll-free number, and the company expects to handle thousands of claims.
But Day said people can’t call the toll-free number and expect to get an automatic payment. “It doesn’t work that way,” he said. “You have to show that you went to the doctor.” San Antonio-based Valero, the nation’s largest refiner, held a town-hall meeting Monday at a local high school following a second accident — a fire and explosion — that occurred about 7:20 p.m. Sunday.
Many who attended the meeting are residents of the Carver Terrace apartments, which sit near the refinery’s edge.
On Tuesday afternoon, many who were gathered in groups on porches in mid-90-degree heat said they had seen Valero insurance adjusters at the sprawling complex.
“I’ve called the (toll-free) number, but I haven’t heard a thing,” said Randy “Big Boy” Junior. He said he has suffered from headaches and diarrhea since the vapor leak. Then the explosion Sunday unnerved everybody at the apartments, Junior said. “It was so loud and powerful, everything vibrated.” Tuesday afternoon, Sympatthye Johnson was leaving Carver Terrace to take her 9-year-old daughter to the hospital. “She’s been having constant nosebleeds,” Johnson said.
Mayor Deloris “Bobbie” Prince said Tuesday that city officials and Valero have a good relationship, but she wants to push for an alert system that would notify residents immediately of a fire, spill or gas cloud. She plans to meet with Valero plant officials next week to discuss better warning systems.
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