Now that Hurricane Rita has passed, DuPont reports that it is focused on accounting for employees and ensuring that they and their families are safe.

"We are in regular contact with our sites in the Texas Gulf Coast region. I am pleased to report that all of our site storm teams are safe, are now doing site assessments and beginning any necessary repair. Current reports indicate that all sites are structurally and environmentally sound," says Don Johnson, group vice president, DuPont Operations and Engineering. "...Our priority is the safety of our employees in the region, their families and our impacted communities. Our emergency response teams have been deployed and will begin offering assistance to employees and site communities. We are also applying lessons from Hurricane Katrina to allow for safe, fast restart of our operations," he says.

DuPont operates nine manufacturing sites in the Texas Gulf Coast area, employing about 2,200 people. With the addition of sales, engineering and business employees also in the region, total DuPont employment in the Texas Gulf Coast region is approximately 2,600. DuPont had shut down all nine of these plants to prepare for Hurricane Rita.