CITGO Helps Gulf Coast Communities Prepare for Hurricane Season

"Supporting hurricane resilience programs in the Gulf Coast is a natural extension of our commitment to protecting the health and safety of our neighbors and the communities where we operate," said Kresha Sivinski, CITGO Vice President, Human Resources and Support Services. "By investing in preparedness, we help ensure families, seniors, and local organizations have the resources they need to stay safe and recover more quickly when storms strike."

According to a study by Allstate and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, every $1 invested in resiliency can save communities $13 in avoided damages, economic disruption, and cleanup costs.

This year, CITGO is awarding grants of $25,000 to each of the following organizations:

• Lake Charles: CITGO is working with the United Way of Southwest Louisiana's Strong Homes Initiative to fund tree trimming services, which help minimize damage and injuries caused by falling tree limbs during hurricanes and other severe weather events. This is the second year the company has supported this program.
  
  
• Houston: CITGO is supporting Operation IMpact in partnership with IM Houston. Operation IMpact is an annual project of IM Houston's Meals on Wheels program that delivers a week's worth of nonperishable food to nearly 4,000 homebound seniors in the Greater Houston/Galveston area ahead of hurricane season. This is the third year CITGO has supported this program.
  
  
• Corpus Christi: In partnership with the United Way of the Coastal Bend, CITGO is funding tree trimming services for local non-profit organizations that serve and shelter those in socioeconomic need.

Additional resiliency initiatives funded by CITGO include a project through the Gulf of America Alliance to assess the City of Corpus Christi's resilience to hurricanes and the purchase of emergency radios for the city's emergency management team. The company also has supported multiple coastal environmental restoration efforts in Louisiana and Texas that can help minimize the effects of storm surges.

About CITGO

CITGO Petroleum Corporation is a recognized leader in the refining industry and operates under the well-known CITGO brand. CITGO owns and operates three refineries located in Lake Charles, La.; Lemont, Ill.; and Corpus Christi, Texas, and wholly and/or jointly owns 42 active terminals, eight pipelines and three lubricants blending and packaging plants. With approximately 3,300 employees and a combined crude capacity of approximately 807,000 barrels-per-day (bpd), CITGO ranks as the fifth largest and is one of the most complex independent refiners in the United States. CITGO transports and markets transportation fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals and other industrial products, and supplies a network of approximately 4,000 locally owned and independently operated branded retail outlets, all located east of the Rocky Mountains. CITGO Petroleum Corporation is owned by CITGO Holding, Inc.

SOURCE CITGO Petroleum Corporation