Galena Park, Texas (KTRK) – Trucks produce exhaust, and factories refine chemicals—a combination that can make the community in Galena Park likely suffer from poor air quality.
“They are all things that can cause problems, health issues, asthma, exacerbation of COPD, exacerbation of heart failure, all those kinds of things,” Galena Park Fire Chief Tom Elhers said.
After the ITC factory explosion in 2019, community leaders knew it was time to take air quality testing and safety alerts into their own hands.
The city paid about $45,000 for a system that monitors air quality in real time and is able to instantly alert emergency management when the air quality is dangerous, what type of chemical it is, and more.
Related: Galina Park completed the new batch of emergency warning system
“It will tell us which direction these pollutants are coming from so we can better understand how we can protect our citizens,” Elhars said.
This real time alert is vital. State and county monitoring systems are currently in place but only cover some of Galena Park, and Elhers said there is a data lag.
Because someone has to review all of the data, if a dangerous chemical is discovered, you may not know about it the same day.
The new system is managed and operated by Galena Park, and works in real time. If a hazardous chemical is detected, it will send an alert to emergency management, which can immediately alert residents of what is happening and what needs to be done.
Related: Galina Park completed the new batch of emergency warning system
“This allows us to send a mass notification,” Elhars said.
The city has also partnered with scientists at Texas A University& M who will take the data collected and interpret it
“This will help us know what we need to do in the future,” Elhars said. The system will also protect Galena Park and surrounding communities.
“What’s happening here in Galena Park is affecting people in the city of Jacinto. It’s affecting people in the northeastern part of the county. Our north, our west, depending on which way the wind blows,” Elhers said.
The city announced the system on Earth Day, but it won’t work for the next few weeks.
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