STAMFORD, Conn., Sept. 26 -- MeadWestvaco Corporation today announced its recovery and relief efforts are underway at operations in Texas and Louisiana, and the company anticipates beginning normal operations in the coming days as soon as employees are able to safely return to the area and power is restored. MeadWestvaco's facilities in the affected region include the paperboard mill in Evadale, Texas; the extrusion coating facility in Silsbee, Texas; and the chemical plant in DeRidder, Louisiana. These facilities sustained some wind and water damage from Hurricane Rita and currently are not operating. Key manufacturing equipment was not significantly impacted, and cleanup operations are now underway. Power remains out at all of the facilities, and company officials are working with area power companies to restore power as quickly as possible. "We have dedicated resources on site and throughout the company to help ensure our employees and operations have what they need to recover as quickly as possible," said John A. Luke, chairman and chief executive officer of MeadWestvaco. "Our teams in the area did an excellent job in preparing for the storm, and are working diligently on cleanup and recovery efforts."