On Thursday, Explosions and fires were heard near Houston in a flood-crippled Chemical Plant, releasing a choking and eye-irritating smoke. The incident has added another hazard to the devastating effect of Hurricane Harvey
Operators of the plant warned that more explosions and fires could follow because chemicals stored in a loss refrigeration were degrading and burning. Local officials said there was no cause for alarm after carrying out an analysis of the smoke for possible health dangers. No serious injuries have been reported.
An addition to the effect of Harvey
Many workers of the Arkema Inc. plant were pulled out before Harvey hit, and the 11 crew left behind at the plant were evacuated before the explosions occurred. Safety officials had ordered people living within a distance of 2.4 kilometers to leave the area on Tuesday.
Safety officials said volatile organic peroxides substances used for making construction materials and pharmaceuticals were responsible for the blasts. Arkema Inc. is a French-owned chemical firm that produces varieties of products. Earlier this week, the plant officials issued an explosion warning saying a blast could occur at the facility which is about 25 miles, approximately 40 kilometers northeast of Houston.
Harvey wreaked havoc on the plant by knocking out power and disabling the refrigeration that maintains the stability of the organic peroxide.
A top official at Arkema said on Thursday that the chemical compounds were placed on refrigerated containers following the power failure at the facility, but he added that the containers also failed, leading to the burning of chemicals in one of the units.
The plant stores one of the biggest concentrations of chemicals, refineries, and pipelines in the U.S. Houston with a population of about 2.3 million people is America’s fourth largest city.
Safety officials on top of the situation
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality spokesperson, Andrea Morrow said no other chemical plant alerted the agency of troubles at their facility amid the hurricane disaster.
However, Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said 15 of his deputies sought medical attention after suffering eye irritation as a result of the smoke.
The Environmental Protection Agency deployed staff to monitor the situation. It said after an analysis of air samples collected by aircraft, the result showed that there was no concentration of concerns for toxic materials for the time being. However, the Texas Environmental Agency described the smoke as acrid and irritating and capable of impairing breathing.