At DuPont DeLisle, we believe that the community gives us the “Consent to Operate;” to that extent we must operate our facility with the highest standards focusing on operating excellence. We live by the tenant that sustainable growth equals sustainable communities.

DuPont has been a part of this community for 28 years, our employees live, work and raise their families here, therefore it’s important for us to make the DeLisle community a great place for everyone to live and we strive toward that goal with our donations and volunteer efforts. We look forward to continuing our relationship of support and giving to this community’s quality of life for years to come.

At DuPont DeLisle, we strive every day to have a positive impact on our community. We support many local charities and organizations designed to assist those in need, educate our youth and increase the quality of life on the Mississippi Coast.

Some of the organizations and events we support are United Way of South Mississippi, American Heart Association Heartwalk, School tutoring programs and science fairs, Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs of Pass Christian and many, many others.

If you would like to know more about DuPont DeLisle’s Community Service efforts, contact our community affairs department at ben.f.midgette-jr-1@usa.dupont.com.

Katrina Recovery Efforts

Hurricane Katrina devastated the entire Mississippi Gulf Coast. Prior to the storm, DuPont followed a protocol of rigorous shut-down procedures to secure operations and contain all materials. These procedures proved effective as there have been numerous reports from state and federal agencies stating that there was no environmental impact due to the hurricane.

Stringent DuPont construction and engineering standards helped the site avoid substantial structural damage and its environmental systems remained intact during the storm’s assault. Although the hurricane storm surge surpassed the site’s levee, environmental management systems at the plant were protected by a system of engineered berms that were not surpassed by the surge. However, due to waters flooding the majority of our electrical control rooms, we were forced to replace nearly all electrical systems in the plant. We announced the grand reopening of the titanium dioxide facility on January 25, 2006, just five months after Hurricane Katrina’s punch.

Immediately during the storm’s aftermath, we used local media, regional media, the internet, Red Cross, phone calls, designated call-in lines, word-of-mouth and door-to-door searches to ensure that all of our employees were safe and accounted for. Despite the fact that the plant was shut down we continued to provide a full schedule of work for all our employees allowing them to have their regular source of income. We’re proud of the fact that no employee lost even a day of pay due to Katrina.

Ninety-five employees at our plant requested housing assistance. We were successful in working with suppliers and local agencies to provide semi-permanent housing for all of these employees and their families. More than 70 families were living at a specially designed DuPont Employee Community on the DeLisle plant site. While many have been able to return to their repaired homes, some are still living at the site.

DuPont pledged $1 million in cash to agencies supporting Hurricane Katrina relief and recovery efforts on the Gulf Coast, with an emphasis on the hardest hit communities, such as those surrounding the DeLisle site. DuPont also established the DuPont Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund for contributions from DuPont employees, retirees, family members and other friends of DuPont. The company contributed an amount equal to the Relief Fund total, up to $1 million.

The DeLisle site has been active in community rebuilding efforts. We have donated more than $1.6 million to recovery and rebuilding efforts on the Gulf Coast. More than half of this amount directly impacted organizations in Mississippi.

Within the plant’s immediate vicinity, we were proud to provide much-needed relief to governmental entities, charitable organizations and individuals who were devastated by the storm. Some of the programs we sponsored include providing temporary buildings for city halls, schools, libraries and churches. We provided computers and fiber optic cable for the Pass Christian School System. We distributed Thanksgiving and Christmas Dinner packages to families in need, and more than 1,500 fleece jackets to children without warm winter clothes.

We also were able to provide $50,000 to the Mississippi Sheriff’s Association in order to allow them to continue their peace keeping activities; to contribute DuPont products, such as Kevlar Vests, personal protection equipment and disinfection; to make regularly-scheduled rounds to visit plant neighbors and 15 local shelters to assess needs, providing approximately $100,000 of food and supplies to them and many other relief activities.

Our employees, contractors and vendors demonstrated a level of concern and dedication to the community, the company and to each other that is truly humbling. We will never forget that the power of our DuPont family is the reason we have been able to provide so much community support and the reason the DeLisle Plant is back in business today.

We consider it a privilege to work with dedicated professionals, who truly care about each other, our community and appreciate the important role DuPont serves in the economic and social welfare of our region.