Thursday July 11 07:05 PM EDT Pasadena Put On Terrorist Threat Alert Officials and residents in Pasadena, Texas are on alert after news that the small city may be the target of a terrorist plot scheduled to take place on Friday. The terror plot was originally believed to be against Pasadena, Calif., but city officials there said that the Texas city of the same name, which is about 15 miles southeast of Houston, is believed to be the intended target. California authorities said that they received word of the threat a couple of days ago. "It was hinted to us that it was directed at oil refineries," said spokeswoman Janet Pope with the Pasadena Police Department in California. "The only thing that we could think of is that there are no oil refineries in Pasadena, Calif. The next logical step was to think about Pasadena, Texas, and pass on the information." The information was passed on to local law enforcement officials and the FBI (news - web sites), which have confirmed that they have been notified about the possible threat. "We take every threat seriously, and in response to this latest threat," said Harris County Sheriff's Department spokesman Lt. Robert Van Pelt. "We've increased our presence in the unincorporated areas of Harris County, particularly the refineries, the chemical plants and the Port of Houston." Officials are keeping tight-lipped about the details of the terrorist plot, except to say that the intended date is July 12. Baytown police officials confirmed that one of the suspects expected to carry out the plot could be living in the Houston area. Law enforcement officials have already set up a command post, and have notified local refineries. "Shell Deer Park remains on high alert," Shell Oil Co. spokeswoman Lois Guthrie said. "We are continuing to share security (news - web sites) information with the FBI, U.S. Coast Guard (news - web sites), local law enforcement and our industrial neighbors. We have also alerted all of our employees." Security at the 141 refineries and plants in the Pasadena area has never been tighter, according to officials. Trucks, coming and going, are carefully monitored. Surveillance has also been increased. Pasadena police and firefighters are on 24-hour alert. Sheriff's deputies stepped up patrols in the area as well as along the Houston Ship Channel. The tighter security measures are similar to what was implemented right after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. City officials said all the precautions are for a threat that may not exist. "There's no specific threat at this point, to our knowledge, targeting Pasadena, Texas," said David Bensen, with the City of Pasadena. FBI officials said Pasadena, Calif. is still the suspected target of the threat. But since the two cities names are the same, they don't want to take any chances. "A rumor is a rumor and that is exactly what it is. But we cannot ignore it," said Jerri Neely, with the Pasadena City Council. "But on the other hand, we can't run up and down the street and terrify everybody to death." Refinery workers said that they are concerned and taking the threat seriously. "They warned us," refinery worker Michael Kelly said. "They said that there might be threats, (to) just be careful, take precautions, and to make sure that if you see anybody weird, report it." Pasadena Residents React Many Pasadena residents said that the news of the terrorist threat is making them feel uneasy, and leaves them thinking about what to do next. "Maybe I'll stay out of Pasadena," said resident Rick Marron. "You can never tell where it's going to hit or when it's going to hit." "We're on our way out of town right now, so maybe that's a good thing," resident Natalie Young said. Some Pasadena residents said that living near refineries has taught them to be on guard and prepared for explosions and chemical leaks. "We were always aware that this could be a target," resident Jim Young said. "You just have to keep focused. (Terrorists) want to interrupt your lifestyle, and we're not going to do that." Christene Waitts has lived near Pasadena refineries for more than 50 years. She's not worried. "What good does it do? And I've got enough worries -- just normal, everyday living -- not to have to worry about that that may or may not happen," Waitts said. Pasadena, Calif. Versus Pasadena, Texas When comparing Pasadena, Calif. to Pasadena, Texas, it's like a tale of two very different cities. Pasadena, Calif. is a suburb of Los Angeles and mainly a residential area. It does not have major industries or any refineries. Pasadena, Texas is home to more than 100 refineries and chemical plants for some of the world's largest energy companies.
It's hard to imagine that Pasadena, California would be at more risk of a terrorist attack than Pasadena, TX. 141 oil refineries and plants !!!
scary... especially considering the amount of chemicals here. Fortunately it looks like most of the post-9/11 threats have been caught in time, and hopefully that will be the case with this one. Still, if any of you work there, I wouldn't blame you if you didn't go in tomorrow...
For those who want a link: http://www.news2houston.com/hou/news/stories/news-155378720020711-100725.html B
Thank God. I'll be watching this from the safety of my house. However, I have talked to friends at work and the security is unbelievably tight. Here's the deal: a terrorist could get inside, but he would have to have prior knowledge as to where to place a bomb. Just throwing a bomb anywhere would cause some damage, but a well place bomb could cause enormous damage. I know of one such location that could cause a chain reaction that would wipe out most of the refineries on the channel. Scary stuff.
It's not something in the plant I work at, and I have no plans to say it here. Besides, it's common knowledge amongst those who work out there. If they do have such terrible plans, they would be working in the field to find out, not scanning a basketball bbs.
As always, everybody remain vigilant. I hate to be political about this, but it is times like this (when the cops may not be able to get there in time) that the framers had in mind when they drafted that Second Amendment. Everybody be careful. God bless.
I just want to clarify my post. I am not advocating any kind of insurrection. I merely think that we need to fight terrorism if we see it happening. Hopefully this alert will turn out to be nothing more than a rumor and nothing bad will happen.
I found it: http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/topstory/1490073 Actually, it's a different story, but looks like the same basic info after I scanned it.
That's scary...It would be kinda hard to stop every single truck to check for a bomb or something. It would be pretty easy to sneak something in there. I haven't been to Pasadena lately so I wouldn't know wht kind of secuirty there is there...
Just turn everybody away for a day would be less expensive than dealing with a catastrophe. Take names and see them on Monday with time to investigate and follow-up.
That would be impossible. Hundreds, if not thousands, of trucks must move in and out of these refineries everyday to keep the product moving. You must also factor in employees, contractors, suppliers, etc. that are required to be there. These refineries do not operate on simple 9-5 schedules. The equipment is running 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. To shut them down would cost millions of dollars per refinery, in addition to the safety risk associated with shutdowns.
<b>behad</b>: I know it was an extreme suggestion-- just exploring the edges of possible solutions. What are estimates of the costs of a successful terrorist strike?
If you shut down all the operations you also make it easier for a terrorist strike. With everyone working you have thousands of people keeping their eye open for something out of the ordinary. Plus, say we sent everyone home, the terrorists could just set up time delayed explosives to go off when everyone returns to work. B
