Aug. 31, 2004 – Hovensa will be testing a new emergency evacuation system shortly after noon on Wednesday, and the exercise will include activating emergency signal lights at both ends of Route 68, the road in front of the refinery's main gate.
Evacuation horns in the refinery will be sounded and the emergency lights on Route 68 will be activated at 12:15 p.m., Alexander A. Moorhead, Hovensa vice president for government affairs and community relations, said in a release issued on Tuesday. The lights will signal motorists not to use the road until the emergency is over, the release stated.
Moorhead said the signals are intended to alert refinery personnel in the event of an emergency requiring evacuation of the facilities.
In an actual emergency, he said, Route 68 would be closed to the public, and the emergency horns and lights would be activated by radio signal. Hovensa's emergency response plan includes releasing information to the public through the V.I. Territorial Emergency Management Agency and a local emergency planning committee.
Moorhead emphasized that Wednesday's activation of the horns and signal lights is just a test to ascertain whether all components in the system are functioning properly. "No emergency requiring the evacuation of workers at the refinery or residents in nearby areas will exist at that time," he said.
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