PORT NECHES, Texas — Workers began tearing down the towers at TPC in Port Neches today.
This comes more than four years after that harrowing explosion that damaged thousands of homes the day before Thanksgiving in 2019.
Starting on February 2 and on the following three Fridays, February 9, 16 and 23 the towers will be dropping.
The deconstruction will happen at two separate times. The first at 9 a.m. and the second at 11 a.m. on each of the scheduled Fridays.
It's estimated that it will take around 5 to 10 minutes to deconstruction each tower.
During these time periods, there will be road closures for these activities for added safety measures.
- The intersection of Spur 136 at Highway 366
- Spur 136 to Highway 366 in front of TPC Port Neches
- Highway 366 between Spur 136 & Park Street
For many in Mid-County the deconstruction is a welcome sight. Residents who live near the plant are ready to see the towers gone.
"There was an explosion, and it knocked me out of bed. My front door was blown right off... when I ran to the front door the sky was just orange," said Port Neches Resident John Mays.
Homes along Merriman Street and Green Oaks Drive were hit hard by the explosive boom from TPC. Many homes had damage to their roofs, broken windows and caved in garages.
"Their own insurance adjuster indicated I had about $120,000 in damage and they have not paid me a penny," Mays said.
Many homeowners were left paying for those repairs out of their own pocket.
Mark Sparks, a lawyer with Ferguson Law Firm, previously told 12News over $9,000 claims were filed against TPC.
"There are 9,524 claims. And if you do that math with 30 million, you can see the problem the trustee's up against," Sparks said.
Mays says he just wants the company gone. The sight of the towers falling, is a welcome one.
"I'm numb to TPC right now, you know I drive by there all the time, I live about a half mile from the blast epicenter of it. Every time I just go by there I cringe and grit my teeth and move on. I frankly wish they would get out of here," he said.
He says by this point he doesn't expect to be compensated for the damages to his home.
"My expectation is that I'm not getting any money, if I do then great if not then I have gotten past the hurt the pain the anger. I'm living life now," Mays said.
TPC filed for bankruptcy and reached a $30 million bankruptcy settlement in 2023.