Houston-Area Floodwaters Recede But Dangers Still Loom

Credit Associated Press

RadioOnFire.com - HOUSTON (AP) -- Major dangers for the U.S. Gulf Coast area loomed Wednesday with the threat of major flooding further east near the Texas-Louisiana line and an explosion at a Texas chemical plant as Harvey's floodwaters began receding in the Houston area after five days of torrential rain.

Beaumont and Port Arthur, Texas, struggled with rising water as the area was pounded with what remained of the weakening storm, while Houston's fire department said it would begin a block-by-block search Thursday of thousands of flooded homes. Assistant Fire Chief Richard Mann said the searches were to ensure "no people were left behind."

The confirmed death toll climbed to at least 31, including six family members - four of them children - whose bodies were pulled Wednesday from a van that had been swept off a Houston bridge into a bayou.

"Unfortunately, it seems that our worst thoughts are being realized," Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said after the van that disappeared over the weekend was found in 10 feet of muddy water.

Reporting live @wbalradio this AM from @wbaltv11 @RedCross phone bank as folks are calling 410-261-2300 to donate to help TX flood victims pic.twitter.com/2dnAnfZeVd

— Scott Wykoff (@ScottWykoffWBAL) August 31, 2017

Another crisis related to Harvey emerged at a chemical plant about 25 miles (40 kilometers) northeast of Houston. A spokeswoman for the Arkema Inc. plant in Crosby, Texas, said late Wednesday that the flooded facility had lost power and backup generators, 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," said Janet Smith, spokeswoman for the French company that owns the plant.

The last of the plant's employees evacuated on Tuesday and residents within 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) were told to leave.

Arkema submitted a plan to the federal government in 2014 outlining a worst-case scenario that said potentially 1.1 million residents could be affected by such an event over a distance of 23 miles, according to information compiled by a nonprofit group. But the company said Wednesday that a worst-case scenario was "very unlikely."

Another threat was emerging east of Houston where weather conditions deteriorated close to the Louisiana line.

Beaumont and Port Arthur worked to evacuate residents after Harvey completed a U-turn in the Gulf of Mexico and rolled ashore early Wednesday for the second time in six days. It hit southwestern Louisiana as a tropical storm with heavy rain and winds of 45 mph.

Source WBAL