ABC News :
Texas is in the grip of severe flooding caused by former hurricane Harvey, which hit the US state on Friday as a category four storm and has left at least 35 people dead.
The company which owns the Arkema SA plant said it was notified at about 2:00am by the Harris County Emergency Operations Center of two explosions and black smoke coming from the plant in Crosby.
The company said further explosions of organic peroxides stored on site were possible and urged people to stay away as the fire burns itself out.
‘I couldn’t sit at home’
Locals in Texas have taken to their own boats to go house by house trying to save lives in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.
It said it had no way to prevent fires because the plant was swamped by about 1.83 metres of water due to flooding from Harvey, which knocked out power to its cooling system.
The plant makes organic peroxides used in the production of plastic resins, polystyrene, paints and other products.
“Organic peroxides are extremely flammable and … the best course of action is to let the fire burn itself out,” the company said.
“We want local residents to be aware that product is stored in multiple locations on the site, and a threat of additional explosion remains. Please do not return to the area within the evacuation zone.”
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office said on its Twitter feed the deputy had been taken to the hospital while nine others drove themselves to the hospital as a precaution.
The company evacuated remaining workers at the damaged plant on Tuesday, and Harris County ordered the evacuation of residents within a 2.4 kilometre radius of the plant.
The Federal Aviation Administration has temporarily barred flights near the plant because of the risk of fire or explosion.
Houston’s fire department said it would today begin a block-by-block search of thousands of flooded homes.
Assistant Fire Chief Richard Mann said the searches were to ensure “no people were left behind”.
The confirmed death toll has climbed to at least 35, including six family members – four of them children – whose bodies were pulled from a van that had been swept off a Houston bridge into a bayou.
A group of men pull on a rope in waist-deep water.
Photo: Volunteers help pull a boat while rescuing people from their homes in Beaumont. (AP: Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman)
“Unfortunately, it seems that our worst thoughts are being realised,” Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said after the van that disappeared over the weekend was found in more than three metres of muddy water.
Another threat was emerging east of Houston where weather conditions deteriorated close to the Louisiana line.
Beaumont and Port Arthur worked to evacuate residents after Harvey completed a U-turn in the Gulf of Mexico and rolled ashore early on Wednesday for the second time in six days.
It hit southwestern Louisiana as a tropical storm with heavy rain and winds of 72 kilometres per hour.
Port Arthur found itself increasingly isolated as floodwaters swamped most major roads out of the city.
Floodwaters also toppled two oil storage tanks in South Texas, spilling almost 30,000 gallons of crude.
Texas is in the grip of severe flooding caused by former hurricane Harvey, which hit the US state on Friday as a category four storm and has left at least 35 people dead.
The company which owns the Arkema SA plant said it was notified at about 2:00am by the Harris County Emergency Operations Center of two explosions and black smoke coming from the plant in Crosby.
The company said further explosions of organic peroxides stored on site were possible and urged people to stay away as the fire burns itself out.
‘I couldn’t sit at home’
Locals in Texas have taken to their own boats to go house by house trying to save lives in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.
It said it had no way to prevent fires because the plant was swamped by about 1.83 metres of water due to flooding from Harvey, which knocked out power to its cooling system.
The plant makes organic peroxides used in the production of plastic resins, polystyrene, paints and other products.
“Organic peroxides are extremely flammable and … the best course of action is to let the fire burn itself out,” the company said.
“We want local residents to be aware that product is stored in multiple locations on the site, and a threat of additional explosion remains. Please do not return to the area within the evacuation zone.”
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office said on its Twitter feed the deputy had been taken to the hospital while nine others drove themselves to the hospital as a precaution.
The company evacuated remaining workers at the damaged plant on Tuesday, and Harris County ordered the evacuation of residents within a 2.4 kilometre radius of the plant.
The Federal Aviation Administration has temporarily barred flights near the plant because of the risk of fire or explosion.
Houston’s fire department said it would today begin a block-by-block search of thousands of flooded homes.
Assistant Fire Chief Richard Mann said the searches were to ensure “no people were left behind”.
The confirmed death toll has climbed to at least 35, including six family members – four of them children – whose bodies were pulled from a van that had been swept off a Houston bridge into a bayou.
A group of men pull on a rope in waist-deep water.
Photo: Volunteers help pull a boat while rescuing people from their homes in Beaumont. (AP: Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman)
“Unfortunately, it seems that our worst thoughts are being realised,” Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said after the van that disappeared over the weekend was found in more than three metres of muddy water.
Another threat was emerging east of Houston where weather conditions deteriorated close to the Louisiana line.
Beaumont and Port Arthur worked to evacuate residents after Harvey completed a U-turn in the Gulf of Mexico and rolled ashore early on Wednesday for the second time in six days.
It hit southwestern Louisiana as a tropical storm with heavy rain and winds of 72 kilometres per hour.
Port Arthur found itself increasingly isolated as floodwaters swamped most major roads out of the city.
Floodwaters also toppled two oil storage tanks in South Texas, spilling almost 30,000 gallons of crude.
