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Harvey Live Updates: In Crosby, Texas, Blasts at a Chemical Plant and More Are Feared Harvey Live Updates: Blasts at Plant in Crosby, Texas, Underscore Worries About Storm Damage
(35 minutes later)
Officials were warily watching a flood-ravaged chemical plant northeast of Houston on Thursday after a series of small explosions, or “pops,” overnight. They said that they expected more blasts, but did not know exactly when they would take place. The fumes sickened several Harris County Sheriffs deputies, and residents within a 1.5-mile radius have been evacuated. A series of small explosions shook a chemical plant northeast of Houston on Thursday and more blasts were expected, after floodwaters shut down the cooling systems that kept the chemicals stable. It was one of a host of new dangers emerging in the aftermath of Harvey, once a Category 4 hurricane, as floodwaters receded in many Houston neighborhoods and the storm moved through northeastern Louisiana and into Mississippi.
The blasts were one of a host of new dangers emerging Thursday, as floodwaters from Harvey, once a Category 4 hurricane, receded in many Houston neighborhoods and the storm moved through northeastern Louisiana and into Mississippi. Beaumont, a town in eastern Texas which has been inundated by floodwaters, lost its running water, and officials ordered mandatory evacuations in areas around the Barker Reservoir near Houston over fears about new flooding. In a region dotted with chemical factories, oil refineries, natural gas plants, and other potential sources of combustion and toxins, the explosions at the Arkema plant near Crosby, Tex., underscore the worries that many people have about the lingering dangers that damage from the storm, which was downgraded to a tropical depression on Wednesday night, poses to the region’s infrastructure, economy and health.
More than 30,000 people remained in shelters in the region and Houston fire officials said they would begin the painstaking search of homes in the city, in which there was more than three feet of water, to make sure no one was left behind. The process could take up to two weeks. It appeared that the health and safety risk from the plant was limited; Houston Methodist San Jacinto hospital in Baytown treated 21 first responders for chemical exposure, decontaminating them and then discharging them. The area within 1.5 miles of the plant was evacuated, but it is sparsely populated.
Here is the latest: The plant produces chemicals called organic peroxides, and Rich Rennard, an Arkema executive said that smoke from the blasts was “noxious,” an irritant to the lungs, eyes and possibly skin, but he would not say whether it could be called toxic. A total of eight containers at the plant lost refrigeration and can be expected to detonate as the chemicals in them decompose, officials said, but they could not predict how soon others would explode.
In Beaumont, about 70 miles east-northeast of Houston, flooding shut down the system that supplies running water to the entire city on Thursday, prompting a hospital to evacuate. With most roads in and out of the area under water, and the Neches River still rising, federal officials are trying to get enough bottled water into Beaumont to prevent a health crisis.
In Houston, officials ordered mandatory evacuation of areas around the Barker Reservoir, as flooding from that overwhelmed basin, and the nearby Addicks Reservoir, continued to pour into neighborhoods on the city’s western edge. In other parts of the city, floodwaters receded, exposing countless losses and new hazards, like ruined and abandoned vehicles blocking roads, damaged electrical systems, and mold.
Here is more on the latest:
• Local officials said there were at least 38 deaths in Texas so far that were related or suspected to be related to the storm. Officials throughout southeast Texas said they were prepared for that number to inch higher as floodwaters began to recede.• Local officials said there were at least 38 deaths in Texas so far that were related or suspected to be related to the storm. Officials throughout southeast Texas said they were prepared for that number to inch higher as floodwaters began to recede.
• Vice President Mike Pence and other cabinet officials were visiting the Corpus Christi, Tex., area on Thursday to meet with storm survivors.• Vice President Mike Pence and other cabinet officials were visiting the Corpus Christi, Tex., area on Thursday to meet with storm survivors.
• The storm was downgraded to a tropical depression on Wednesday night. It is expected to move through northeastern Louisiana and northwestern Mississippi on Thursday. • More than 30,000 people remained in shelters in the region, and Houston fire officials said they would begin the painstaking search of homes in the city, in which there was more than three feet of water, to make sure no one was left behind. The process could take up to two weeks. “The shelter mission is the biggest battle that we have right now,” said Brock Long, the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
• Tens of thousands remained in overcrowded shelters, waiting for an indication that they could return to their homes. “The shelter mission is the biggest battle that we have right now,” said Brock Long, the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
• FEMA also reported that 95,745 people in Texas have applied for emergency assistance, which includes financial help with rent, repairs and lost property. The agency has so far disbursed about $57 million to citizens in Texas.• FEMA also reported that 95,745 people in Texas have applied for emergency assistance, which includes financial help with rent, repairs and lost property. The agency has so far disbursed about $57 million to citizens in Texas.
•The police in Houston rescued 18 people overnight, Mayor Sylvester Turner said on Twitter on Thursday morning. The mayor also said there had been no arrests or citations for breaking the city’s curfew for the second night in a row.•The police in Houston rescued 18 people overnight, Mayor Sylvester Turner said on Twitter on Thursday morning. The mayor also said there had been no arrests or citations for breaking the city’s curfew for the second night in a row.
Explosions and fires were reported at about 2 a.m. at the flooded chemical plant in Crosby, about 30 miles northeast of Houston. Twenty-one emergency medical workers and sheriff’s deputies who were exposed to the chemicals were treated at Houston Methodist San Jacinto Hospital, according to the hospital’s chief executive, David Bernard. By midmorning, all had been released or were in the process of being discharged. The plant’s owner, Arkema, said the site had been without power since Sunday and the water was six feet deep in some areas. But the organic peroxides stored there need to be refrigerated or they become unstable. With a storage warehouse warming up, the crew transferred the chemicals to diesel-powered refrigerated trailers.
The plant’s owner, Arkema, said the site had been without power since Sunday. With a storage warehouse warming up, the crew transferred the chemicals to the diesel-powered refrigerated trailers, some of which apparently warmed to the point where the chemicals exploded. Then the backup generators designed to keep refrigeration units operating were flooded as well. The units apparently warmed to the point where the chemicals exploded overnight.
In a sometimes contentious news conference, Rich Rennard, an Arkema executive, said that eight of nine storage containers had lost the refrigeration that kept the chemicals — known as oxygen peroxides and used to make plastics — from decomposing. That decomposition, he said, would cause blasts with fire and smoke. The chemicals, which are used in making plastic and other materials, start to decompose as they warm, which creates more heat and can quickly lead to a rapid, explosive reaction. Some organic peroxides also produce flammable vapors as they decompose.
Mr. Rennard said the smoke produced by the blasts would be “noxious,” and would be an irritant to peoples’ eyes, lungs and possibly their skin. He would not give a definitive answer on whether the smoke was toxic, saying that toxicity was a relative measure, and would not speculate on whether the smoke produced by further explosions would be worse than that which erupted from the plant earlier Thursday.
Mr. Rennard said that Arkema employees had no plans to enter the site until the water had significantly receded, given the instability of the chemicals there. The blasts were not expected to affect chemicals in other parts of the plant, he said, and the company was able to monitor the status of the containers remotely.Mr. Rennard said that Arkema employees had no plans to enter the site until the water had significantly receded, given the instability of the chemicals there. The blasts were not expected to affect chemicals in other parts of the plant, he said, and the company was able to monitor the status of the containers remotely.
“We’re not going to put anyone in harm’s way to try to restore refrigeration,” he said.“We’re not going to put anyone in harm’s way to try to restore refrigeration,” he said.
Vice President Mike Pence and several cabinet officials arrived to a sunny, hot and humid Corpus Christi, Tex., around midday on Thursday before heading to nearby Rockport to speak with victims of the storm.
“The American people are with you,” he told a crowd in Rockport. “We are here today, we will be here tomorrow and we will be here every day until this city and this state and this region rebuild bigger and better than ever before.”
About 21,000 federal workers have been mobilized in response to the storm and Congress is expected to debate passage of a multibillion-dollar emergency aid package in the coming weeks.
Mr. Pence said that he had spoken with President Trump by phone from Air Force 2 earlier in the day and asked if he had any words for survivors of the storm. “He just said ‘Just tell them we love Texas,’” Mr. Pence said.
Mr. Trump, who visited the area earlier in the week, is expected to return to Texas on Saturday. Mr. Pence was joined in Texas by the U.S. secretaries of homeland security, energy, transportation, veterans affairs and labor.
Taps ran dry Thursday morning in Beaumont, and officials there said they could not predict when the homes and businesses in the city of almost 120,000 residents would have running water again.Taps ran dry Thursday morning in Beaumont, and officials there said they could not predict when the homes and businesses in the city of almost 120,000 residents would have running water again.
Lack of drinking water poses a serious survival risk for people trapped in the city, and Mr. Long, in his morning update, said that it was a particular area of concern for FEMA, which would look to distribute water in the area.Lack of drinking water poses a serious survival risk for people trapped in the city, and Mr. Long, in his morning update, said that it was a particular area of concern for FEMA, which would look to distribute water in the area.
Executives at Baptist Beaumont Hospital decided to evacuate because of the water shutdown. The hospital began to transport most of its 193 patients by ambulance and helicopter to hospitals outside the city, and to discharge those who could safely go home, said Mary Poole, a hospital spokeswoman.Executives at Baptist Beaumont Hospital decided to evacuate because of the water shutdown. The hospital began to transport most of its 193 patients by ambulance and helicopter to hospitals outside the city, and to discharge those who could safely go home, said Mary Poole, a hospital spokeswoman.
“We have water here, bottled water, but not enough to take care of all the patients for very long,” she said. “So we’re doing this before we’re in crisis mode, because we have no way of telling when the water will come back on.”“We have water here, bottled water, but not enough to take care of all the patients for very long,” she said. “So we’re doing this before we’re in crisis mode, because we have no way of telling when the water will come back on.”
Christus Southeast Texas-St. Elizabeth Hospital in Beaumont will keep its emergency and trauma services open, but it is weighing whether to evacuate other departments, said Danielle Pardue, a spokeswoman.Christus Southeast Texas-St. Elizabeth Hospital in Beaumont will keep its emergency and trauma services open, but it is weighing whether to evacuate other departments, said Danielle Pardue, a spokeswoman.
Shortly after midnight, the city released a statement saying that due to flooding, its pumping station on the Neches River — the main source of water — had broken down. The city also lost a secondary source, wells in Hardin County.Shortly after midnight, the city released a statement saying that due to flooding, its pumping station on the Neches River — the main source of water — had broken down. The city also lost a secondary source, wells in Hardin County.
“We will have to wait until the water levels from this historical flood recede before we can determine the extent of damage and make any needed repairs,” the statement said. “There is no way to determine how long this will take at this time.”“We will have to wait until the water levels from this historical flood recede before we can determine the extent of damage and make any needed repairs,” the statement said. “There is no way to determine how long this will take at this time.”
Our reporter Rick Rojas is in Beaumont, his hometown. Read more about his journey home here.Our reporter Rick Rojas is in Beaumont, his hometown. Read more about his journey home here.
At the George R. Brown Convention Center, Houston’s main shelter, evacuees have been learning of deaths from social media and from watching news reports on an enormous projection screen.At the George R. Brown Convention Center, Houston’s main shelter, evacuees have been learning of deaths from social media and from watching news reports on an enormous projection screen.
“Part of me wants to just break down crying because it’s so much despair,” said Billy Cartwright, a construction worker who has been staying at the convention center since Monday. “I feel pretty grateful, but part of me’s pretty sad. It’s pretty bad.”“Part of me wants to just break down crying because it’s so much despair,” said Billy Cartwright, a construction worker who has been staying at the convention center since Monday. “I feel pretty grateful, but part of me’s pretty sad. It’s pretty bad.”
Mr. Cartwright, 44, said he believed he had lost all of his possessions to the flood.Mr. Cartwright, 44, said he believed he had lost all of his possessions to the flood.
“I try to think that when all of this passes, just like any other tragedy, America always bounces back,” he said.“I try to think that when all of this passes, just like any other tragedy, America always bounces back,” he said.
The rain continued across the far eastern part of Texas and the western part of Louisiana on Thursday, according to the National Weather Service, even as the storm lost power as it moved northeast.The rain continued across the far eastern part of Texas and the western part of Louisiana on Thursday, according to the National Weather Service, even as the storm lost power as it moved northeast.
Flash flood warnings were in effect in East Texas, the lower Mississippi Valley and in the western parts of the Tennessee and Ohio Valleys, where the storm was expected to spread over the next several days. Some rivers in southeastern Texas remained at record levels Thursday — some were still rising and setting more records — as the deluge made its way downstream, and swollen reservoirs released some water into streams.Flash flood warnings were in effect in East Texas, the lower Mississippi Valley and in the western parts of the Tennessee and Ohio Valleys, where the storm was expected to spread over the next several days. Some rivers in southeastern Texas remained at record levels Thursday — some were still rising and setting more records — as the deluge made its way downstream, and swollen reservoirs released some water into streams.
Near the Louisiana border, the Neches River at Beaumont rose on Thursday to more than five feet above its previous record — more than 14 feet above flood stage — and it was projected to keep rising through Friday. Beaumont has received about 47.35 inches of rain since the storm first arrived.Near the Louisiana border, the Neches River at Beaumont rose on Thursday to more than five feet above its previous record — more than 14 feet above flood stage — and it was projected to keep rising through Friday. Beaumont has received about 47.35 inches of rain since the storm first arrived.
At two flood gauges in the suburbs west of Houston, the Buffalo Bayou remained two to three feet above the old record for the fourth straight day, nine to 11 feet above flood stage, and it was not expected to drop for several days. Southwest of Houston, the Brazos River at Richmond broke its flooding record on Thursday, reaching 10 feet above flood stage, and was not expected to crest until Friday.At two flood gauges in the suburbs west of Houston, the Buffalo Bayou remained two to three feet above the old record for the fourth straight day, nine to 11 feet above flood stage, and it was not expected to drop for several days. Southwest of Houston, the Brazos River at Richmond broke its flooding record on Thursday, reaching 10 feet above flood stage, and was not expected to crest until Friday.
When 120 m.p.h. winds lashed this beach town where Hurricane Harvey made landfall, they smashed some things and spared others. Houses were pushed off their foundations, while shacks next door were spared. Big trees stood as small trees toppled.When 120 m.p.h. winds lashed this beach town where Hurricane Harvey made landfall, they smashed some things and spared others. Houses were pushed off their foundations, while shacks next door were spared. Big trees stood as small trees toppled.
At Spanky’s Liquor on the main street, the windows shattered, the walls collapsed. “The roof? It’s about 100 feet that way,” the owner, Tom Hamilton, said as he paused from sweeping the pieces and pointed toward a house with a boat capsized against the porch and a surfboard lodged in a tree.At Spanky’s Liquor on the main street, the windows shattered, the walls collapsed. “The roof? It’s about 100 feet that way,” the owner, Tom Hamilton, said as he paused from sweeping the pieces and pointed toward a house with a boat capsized against the porch and a surfboard lodged in a tree.
But miraculously, nearly every bottle of liquor was still intact on the shelves, now standing under an open sky.But miraculously, nearly every bottle of liquor was still intact on the shelves, now standing under an open sky.
On Wednesday — the first full day Mr. Hamilton had been allowed back to his store — a crew of employees packed boxes of bottles in the sun.On Wednesday — the first full day Mr. Hamilton had been allowed back to his store — a crew of employees packed boxes of bottles in the sun.
Like many on the island, Mr. Hamilton and his staff were beginning the long, often quiet ordeal of loss and recovery. Christy Lambert pulled out her phone to find a photo of her home in Aransas Pass, just across the bay. There was nothing left but a single kitchen wall. Most of her possessions had blown away.Like many on the island, Mr. Hamilton and his staff were beginning the long, often quiet ordeal of loss and recovery. Christy Lambert pulled out her phone to find a photo of her home in Aransas Pass, just across the bay. There was nothing left but a single kitchen wall. Most of her possessions had blown away.
“When I saw it, I cried, I cried for hours,” said Ms. Lambert, who fled the storm and returned Monday.“When I saw it, I cried, I cried for hours,” said Ms. Lambert, who fled the storm and returned Monday.
“I don’t really have anything but a few things I packed and $40,” she said. “It’s going to be hard to come back from that, but as long as I can keep working, I’ll be O.K.”“I don’t really have anything but a few things I packed and $40,” she said. “It’s going to be hard to come back from that, but as long as I can keep working, I’ll be O.K.”
• Times journalists are chronicling the storm and its aftermath. Here is a collection of the most powerful photographs, and a guide to our coverage.• Times journalists are chronicling the storm and its aftermath. Here is a collection of the most powerful photographs, and a guide to our coverage.
• Follow Times correspondents covering the storm on Twitter: Manny Fernandez, Alan Blinder, Julie Turkewitz, Jack Healy, Dave Philipps, Annie Correal, Rick Rojas, Monica Davey, Richard Fausset, Richard Pérez-Peña and Audra Burch.• Follow Times correspondents covering the storm on Twitter: Manny Fernandez, Alan Blinder, Julie Turkewitz, Jack Healy, Dave Philipps, Annie Correal, Rick Rojas, Monica Davey, Richard Fausset, Richard Pérez-Peña and Audra Burch.
• Are you in an affected area? If you are safe, and are able to, share your story by email to hurricane@nytimes.com. And here are ways you can contribute to relief efforts.• Are you in an affected area? If you are safe, and are able to, share your story by email to hurricane@nytimes.com. And here are ways you can contribute to relief efforts.