CHICAGO — Operations at a Morton Salt site in Great Inagua, Bahamas, still have not resumed after Hurricane Irma hit the island on Sept. 8.
“We can confirm that our facility on the island of Inagua sustained some structural damage as a result of the hurricane,” said Paul Jackiewicz, a spokesman for Morton Salt. “Given our assessment process is still under way, we cannot provide specific details on the extent of the damage or provide a specific timeline on when operations will resume.”
The Morton Salt site on Great Inagua comprises 300,000 acres and produces about a million lbs of salt per year. The Great Inagua site is one of the company’s solar sites, where ocean, sea or saline lake water is drawn into large ponds. Sun and wind evaporate the water, and salt crystalizes and is collected using mechanical harvesting equipment. Products made at solar sites include water-softening salts and packaged ice melts.
“We are working actively to mitigate the operational impact as the Inagua facility is one part of our broader production and distribution network,” Mr. Jackiewicz said. “Morton Salt is committed to its presence on Inagua, and we intend to resume operations there as soon as safely possible.”
Chicago-based Morton Salt reported no fatalities associated with the hurricane.
“At Morton Salt, the safety and security of our employees are of the utmost importance,” Mr. Jackiewicz said. “That’s why we closely monitored Hurricane Irma and activated our emergency response plans and protocols in preparation for the storm.”
K+S, based in Germany, acquired Morton Salt in 2009.
