Port Arthur

Port Arthur

Port Arthur, Texas has experienced many major hurricanes in the past 140 years. Business leaders are familiar with the need to rebuild after a hurricane, windstorm, tornado, or flood in Port Arthur.

Devastating hurricanes left commercial losses in 1879, 1882, 1886 (twice), 1897, 1900, 1918, 1932, 1940, 1943, 1957, 1986, 2005, 2007, 2008, and, most recently, in 2017. Port Arthur businesses have always rebuilt and remained strong in the aftermath of natural disasters, tropical storms, windstorms, floods, hurricanes, hail storms, and more.

However, commercial insurance companies are known to create legal roadblocks when the insured needs to file a loss or business interruption claim. If you’re in the position of filing loss claims and you’re trying to resume normal business in the aftermath of a disaster, you can benefit from an experienced commercial insurance claims law firm.

Commercial Interests in Port Arthur, TX

Port Arthur’s population peaked in 1960, when approximately 67,000 people lived there. Recently, several major energy infrastructure projects, such as Sabine Pass and Golden Pass LNG terminals, were in the process of completion. Investments totaling $2 billion in the terminals have attracted thousands of new residents to the area in the past few years.

Refining capacity is a major part of Port Arthur’s economy:

• Motiva Enterprises built an addition to the refinery in Western Port Arthur in order to expand its oil production capacity Motiva invested $10 billion in the project.
• Premcor Refining (Valero Oil) completed an almost $800 million expansion of a petrochemical plant.
• BASF/Fina started a new $1.75 billion cogeneration/gasification plant on its recently upgraded premises.

The Port of Port Arthur supports the above operations. However, Port Arthur is still suffering from a relatively high unemployment rate. It was previously the site of a major oil spill (2010).

Hurricane Harvey Damage in Port Arthur, TX

Motiva shut the expanding refinery because of flooding. A number of damages sustained after Harvey are unknown. Reuters reported it would take up to eight weeks for the Motiva asset to resume full capacity production.

Colonial Pipeline Co., the largest fuel system in the U.S., said it would resume its important Port Arthur supply point by the end of September 2017. Many areas of Port Arthur were flooded after Hurricane Harvey. Until that time, Colonial may allow shipments to resume through the pumping facilitate at a lesser than normal rate.

Valero Energy’s refinery and Total SA refinery suffered damage after Hurricane Harvey. Reuters reports that both are slowing returning to normal production.

Many energy infrastructure facilities were closed or experienced outages during Hurricane Harvey. Slowed or reduced production means that, after the refineries resume normal production, flows to the East Coast and Southeast will take weeks or months to return to normal. Each of the refineries has an initial connection but all merge with the main line.

The pipeline transports approximately three million gallons of jet, diesel, and gasoline fuel to the northeastern United States.

Small Business in Port Arthur, TX

According to the Port Arthur Chamber of Commerce, many small businesses make up the economic lifeblood of the area:

Air conditioning, industrial services, fencing, sheet metal, moving and storage, retail stores, termite and pest control, security, technical schools, surveyors, bricklayers, corrosion technologies, staffing companies, healthcare providers, real estate agencies, chemical additives, air products, electrical suppliers, engineers, consultants, insurance agencies, hotels, office supplies, temporary personnel, carpet cleaners, associations, law firms, home suppliers, general contractors, mobile phone providers, ice and water suppliers, golf courses, home inspectors, construction contractors, industrial metal suppliers, tank services, occupational centers, apartment buildings, hospice centers, pharmacies, blind specialists, schools, morticians, children and family services, title search firms, speech therapists, mooring services, charitable organizations, shopping centers, and more do business in Port Arthur.

The Port Arthur News reports commercial damage estimated in the millions of dollars to small and medium-sized businesses.

We don’t know the total damages and losses suffered by Port Arthur’s businesses at this time, but we’re standing by to help if commercial insurance companies act in bad faith, including taking too long to settle valid claims, requiring excessive paperwork and documentation to support the valid claim, or outright denial of a valid claim without the benefit of a valid explanation.

Contact a Texas Commercial Claims Lawyer

If your business has suffered wind, flood, hurricane, tornado, hail, fire, or other damages and your commercial lines insurer has undervalued, delayed or outright denied a claim you believe is valid, contact the Mindiola Law Firm at . We will work to ensure that you and your business are fairly paid by the commercial insurance company.