A fire or explosion in the next few days at a flooded chemical plant on the outskirts of Houston is virtually inevitable, its CEO warned on a call with reporters Wednesday. The Arkema Inc. factory in Crosby, Texas, 20 miles northeast of downtown Houston, lost power early Sunday, which it needs to refrigerate volatile chemicals. Those chemicals ignite if they get too warm ― something likely to happen in the next six days, Arkema North America CEO Richard Rowe said. “The high water that exists on site, and the lack of power, leave us with no way to prevent it.”“We’re really blocked from taking meaningful action,” he added. Arkema is among dozens of chemical plants and refineries in the Houston area, many of which have sustained damage in this week’s flooding, causing harm to residents’ health and the environment.

Source: Huffington Post August 30, 2017 21:33 UTC