Texas chemical plant is threatened by flood

DALLAS, Texas - A flooded chemical plant in a small town outside of Houston was poised to explode, a spokeswoman for the French company said late on Wednesday, though the timing and the extent of the danger weren't immediately clear.

The Arkema Inc plant in Crosby, Texas, about 40 kilometers northeast of Houston, lost power and its backup generators amid Harvey's dayslong deluge, leaving it without refrigeration for chemicals that become volatile as the temperature rises.

"The fire will happen. It will resemble a gasoline fire. It will be explosive and intense in nature," spokeswoman Janet Smith said.

There was "no way to prevent" the explosion, chief executive Rich Rowe said.

Arkema manufactures organic peroxides, a family of compounds used for making everything from pharmaceuticals to construction materials.

"As the temperature rises, the natural state of these materials will decompose. A white smoke will result, and that will catch fire," Smith said. "So the fire is imminent. The question is when."

The company shut down the Crosby site before Harvey made landfall last week, but a crew of 11 had stayed behind. That oup was removed and residents within 2.4 kilometers were told to evacuate Tuesday after the plant lost power.

Harris County Fire Marshal spokeswoman Rachel Moreno said the 2.4-km radius was developed in consultation with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and other subject-matter experts. "It's a concerning situation, yes," Moreno said. "But the facility is surrounded by water right now so we don't anticipate the fire going anywhere."

The plant falls along a stretch near Houston that features one of the largest concentrations of refineries, pipelines and chemical plants in the country.

Arkema's plant is required to develop and submit a risk management plan to the US Environmental Protection Agency, because it has large amounts of sulfur dioxide, a toxic chemical, and methylpropene, a flammable gas. The plans are supposed to detail the effects of a potential release, evaluate worse-case scenarios and explain a company's response.

In its most recently available submission from 2014, Arkema said potentially 1.1 million residents could be impacted over a distance of 37 km in a worse case, according to information compiled by a nonprofit group and posted on a website hosted by the Houston Chronicle.

But, Arkema added, it was using "multiple layers of preventative and mitigation measures" at the plant, including steps to reduce the amount of substances released, and that made the worst case "very unlikely".

Daryl Roberts, the company's vice president of manufacturing, technology and regulatory services in the Americas, did not dispute that worst-case scenario but said that assumed all the controls in place failed and strong winds blew directly toward Houston.

"We have not modeled this exact scenario but we are very comfortable with this 2.4-km radius," Roberts said. He added that it mostly resembled less serious scenarios that would affect a half-mile radius and a few dozen people.

Roberts said the vessels containing the organic peroxide are equipped with controls to slow the release of chemicals. Because of the water, he said, the chemicals will quickly vaporize, reducing the size and scope of the fire.

Meanwhile, residents were reminded to remain clear of flood water as it could contain dangerous debris, downed power lines and snakes.

Officials also reminded residents to stay vigilant to remove standing water to reduce the threat of mosquitoborn illnesses.

About 16 people have been killed in the tropical storm, and officials were projecting that as many as 30,000 people will ultimately be evacuated from flooded homes in Houston and other cities and towns in Texas.

Xinhua - Ap