Chemicals At Flooded Texas Plant In Danger Of Exploding
August 30, 2017ยท7:55 PM ET
Barbara Campbell A chemical plant just northeast of Houston is at risk of explosion following the failure of refrigeration equipment which is needed to cool the volatile compounds produced there.
The CEO of Arkema Inc., Rich Rowe, said Wednesday the Crosby, Texas, facility is flooded by 6 feet of water and that primary and back-up power has failed. Without cooling systems, the risk of fire and explosion grows ever more serious. "The high water and lack of power leave us with no way to prevent it," Rowe said.
The residential community surrounding the facility has been evacuated in a 1.5-mile radius. According to the EPA, nearly 4,000 people live within a 3-mile radius. The chemical facility too is abandoned since the last 11 employees who'd remained to try to keep the products from igniting were pulled out. The chemicals have already warmed to a point where their volatility prevents an effort to move them. Rowe said, "We're really blocked from taking any meaningful action."
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http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/08/30/547428167/chemicals-at-flooded-texas-plant-in-danger-of-exploding
