{"id":349492,"date":"2017-08-31T05:56:50","date_gmt":"2017-08-31T05:56:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=349492"},"modified":"2017-11-10T12:35:35","modified_gmt":"2017-11-10T12:35:35","slug":"houston-flood-no-way-to-prevent-chemical-plant-blast-or-fire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2017\/08\/houston-flood-no-way-to-prevent-chemical-plant-blast-or-fire\/","title":{"rendered":"Houston flood: ‘No way to prevent’ chemical plant blast or fire"},"content":{"rendered":"

A chemical plant near the flooded city of Houston is expected to explode or catch fire in the coming days.<\/p>\n

During heavy rainfall from Hurricane Harvey, the Arkema plant at Crosby lost refrigeration of chemical compounds which need to be kept cool, and there is no way to prevent a possible fire, the company said.<\/p>\n

At least 33 people have been killed in the aftermath of the storm.<\/p>\n

US energy supplies have also been hit, as oil companies shut down pipelines.<\/p>\n

The US National Weather Service downgraded the former hurricane to a tropical depression but has forecast continuing heavy rainfall over eastern Texas and western Louisiana.<\/p>\n

What happened at the chemical plant?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Arkema chemical plant shut down its production on Friday, before the storm made landfall.<\/p>\n

But 40in (102cm) of rainfall in the area flooded the site and cut off its power, the company said in a statement. Backup generators were also flooded.<\/p>\n

The facility manufactures organic peroxides, and chemicals stored on site can become dangerous at higher temperatures.<\/p>\n

“Any fire will probably resemble a large gasoline fire,” CEO Richard Rowe told Reuters news agency. “The fire will be explosive and intense.”<\/p>\n

He said the black smoke produced would irritate skin, eyes and lungs.<\/p>\n

“The high water that exists on site, and the lack of power, leave us with no way to prevent it.”<\/p>\n

The fire is expected to be mostly contained to the site itself but residents of Harris County have been evacuated in a 1.5 mile (2.4 km) radius around the plant as a precaution.<\/p>\n

The last remaining workers at the site were evacuated on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

How are rescue efforts progressing?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Parts of Texas have been hit by more than 50in of rainfall since Hurricane Harvey landed, setting new records before it was downgraded to a tropical storm and, late on Wednesday, to a tropical depression.<\/p>\n

Rescue efforts continued overnight. Thousands of people have been rescued from floodwater throughout the state, and more than 32,000 people are still in emergency shelters.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/span><\/figure>\n

Houston, the fourth most populous city in the US, was badly hit, and large parts remain underwater.<\/p>\n

The city is also a key energy hub. The storm and its subsequent flooding has knocked out about a quarter of the country’s refining capacity, sending petrol prices to a two-year high.<\/p>\n

Port Arthur, about 80 miles east of Houston, was also severely flooded. Mayor Derrick Freeman,\u00a0posting on Facebook, said the entire city was underwater, and appealed for anyone who owned a boat to help.<\/p>\n

Details of some of the deaths in Texas have emerged:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • In Beaumont, north-west of Port Arthur, rescue teams saved an 18-month old girl found clinging to her dead mother in the floodwaters<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
      \n
    • In Harris County, a family of six – two great-grandparents and four children – drowned while trying to flee the floods in a van<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
        \n
      • A married couple drowned when their truck was swept away while they were on the phone to emergency services asking for help, the Associated Press reports<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        On Tuesday, Houston implemented a curfew in a bid to prevent looting of abandoned homes. Port Arthur followed suit Wednesday.<\/p>\n

          \n
        • Child found clinging to dead mum in storm<\/li>\n
        • In maps: Houston and Texas flooding<\/li>\n
        • What is it like to be in Houston?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
          \"Two<\/span><\/figure>\n
          What happens next?<\/figure>\n

          An additional 10,000 members of the National Guard were said to be on their way to Texas to join the rescue efforts, adding to the 14,000 already deployed.<\/p>\n

          Harvey was the most powerful hurricane to hit Texas in more than 50 years when it first made landfall at Corpus Christi, 220 miles south-west of Houston, late on Friday.<\/p>\n

          At a press conference Wednesday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said the state could need more than $125bn (\u00a397bn) from the federal government to help its recovery.<\/p>\n

          And he warned “the worst is not yet over”, as flooding was expected to continue for several days.<\/p>\n

          Meanwhile, the tropical depression is now moving north-north-east,\u00a0the US National Weather Service said.<\/p>\n

          Heavy rainfall is expected from Louisiana to Kentucky over the next three days, and flood warnings remain in effect for south-east Texas and parts of south-west Louisiana.<\/p>\n

          –<\/p>\n

          Source: BBC<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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