WILMNGTON, Del. - By mid-August, a floodwall at the DuPont DeLisle, Miss., plant will rise to a height of 30 feet to protect the plant from future storms. The company will spend $15 - $20 million to top the existing 20-foot earthen levee.
The titanium dioxide plant was badly damaged during Hurricane Katrina. Now fully operational after months of intensive reconstruction, the plant is running at near-capacity rates. Stringent DuPont construction and engineering standards helped the site avoid substantial structural damage, and its environmental systems remained intact during the storm's assault. However, most of its electronic and computer systems were destroyed due to water damage.