two explosions take place at Texas chemical plant

Two explosions have taken place at a chemical plant in Crosby, Texas, that lost power due to flooding caused by tropical storm Harvey.

A sheriff’s deputy was taken to hospital after inhaling chemical fumes, and nine others have driven themselves to hospital as a precaution. The plant makes organic peroxides used in the production of plastic resins, polystyrene, paints and other products.

Arkema, the industrial chemical manufacturer that runs the plant, said it was notified at approximately 2am by the Harris County Emergency Operations Center of two explosions and black smoke.

“Organic peroxides are extremely flammable and, as agreed with public officials, 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 plant was shut down last Friday in anticipation of the storm, though 11 employees stayed on site tasked with trying to keep chemicals safe. Those remaining workers were evacuated on Tuesday after the facility lost power from its primary supply and backup generators late on Monday night. Harris County ordered the evacuation of residents within a 1.5-mile (2.4km) radius.

Harvey, which is now a tropical depression, weakened as it moved inland over Louisiana on Thursday, leaving behind record flooding that has driven tens of thousands from their homes in Texas.

The storm has killed at least 35 people and forced 32,000 people into shelters since coming ashore on Friday near Rockport, Texas, on the Gulf of Mexico coast. It was the most powerful hurricane to hit the state in half a century.

Six oil refineries have begun the process of assessing damage and restarting, while two refineries in the Gulf coast region are operating at reduced rates.

A major refinery in Port Arthur was closed on Wednesday after cutting its output to 40% a day earlier. Refineries operated by Exxon, Shell and other companies have released pollutants as torrential rains damaged storage tanks and other industrial facilities on the Texas coast, the Associated Press reported, although it is not clear the significance of the environmental risk they pose.

Houston city centre appeared to have relatively little flooding damage, officials said, but the storm has left mass destruction in its wake.

On Wednesday authorities reported that a married couple who drove a pickup truck into floodwaters had drowned after a current from a nearby creek swept the vehicle away.

A retirement home outside Beaumont was evacuated by airboat, with agents from the Gulf states of Florida and Louisiana participating. The veterans’ administration moved nurses from Dallas, 250 miles north, to relieve nurses in Houston.A submerged van believed to hold six members of a Houston family was located in muddy water about 3 metres (10ft) deep. Efforts to recover the bodies were under way. Separately, officials reported that a three-year-old girl who was found clinging to the body of her drowned mother was likely to be released soon from hospital.

The Texas Department of Public Safety said 48,700 homes in the area had sustained flood damage, including 17,000 with major damage and 1,000 that were destroyed. The state estimated that 700 businesses had been damaged.

Many streets in Houston remain under water and some will be so for days, if not weeks. More shelters have opened to handle the swelling numbers of people seeking refuge and to ease the pressure on the biggest shelter, a downtown convention centre that was operating at double its intended 5,000 capacity.