A spate of unexpected disasters are gripping Texas cities nearly a week after Hurricane Harvey slammed into the coast.
The death toll from Hurricane Harvey and its aftermath in storm-ravaged Texas has climbed to 39.
A spate of unexpected disasters is plaguing Texas cities nearly a week after Hurricane Harvey slammed into the coast.
The entire city of Beaumont has no running water after both its water pumps failed, forcing a hospital to shut down.
In Crosby, two blasts rocked a flooded chemical plant, and more blasts could come.
And in Houston, authorities are searching door-to-door for victims, hoping to find survivors but realizing that the death toll could rise.
A pair of blasts at the Arkema chemical plant in Crosby sent plumes of smoke into the sky Thursday morning, and the company warned more blasts could follow.
The twin blasts Thursday morning happened after organic peroxides overheated. The chemicals need to be kept cool, but after the plant lost power Sunday, the temperature rose, officials said.
That led to containers popping, including one container that caught fire — sending black smoke 30 to 40 feet into the air.
The thick black smoke “might be irritating to the eyes, skin and lungs, ” Arkema officials said in a statement.
Fifteen Harris County sheriff’s deputies were hospitalized, but the smoke they inhaled was not believed to be toxic, the department said. By midmorning Thursday, all of the deputies had been released.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said nothing toxic was emitted and there was no imminent danger to the community.
Three other containers storing the same chemical are at risk of “overpressurization, ” said Jeff Carr of Griffin Communications Group, which is representing Arkema.
Arkema shut down the facility as Harvey approached last week. The company evacuated everyone within 1.5 miles of plant as a precaution after it was flooded under more than 5 feet of water.
The company has said there’s a small possibility that the organic peroxide, which is used in the production of plastic resins, will get into floodwaters. “But it will not ignite and burn, ” Arkema said.
‘People are freaking out’ in Beaumont
Extreme flooding caused both of Beaumont’s water pumps to fail, meaning the city of 118,000 has no running water.
“We will have to wait until the water levels from this historical flood recede before we can determine the extent of damage and make any needed repairs, ” the city said in a statement. “There is no way to determine how long this will take at this time.”
So residents lined up at stores hours before they opened Thursday in hopes of getting whatever bottled water they could find.
“It’s crazy, ” said Khayvin Williams, who started waiting in line at Market Basket at 6: 50 a.m. “People are freaking out.”
At a local Walmart, Jeffrey Farley said the store is only allowing 20 people in at a time and is rationing water to three cases per customer. He got in line at 6: 30 a.m. and waited until 8: 30 to get his water.
“It’s an insult to injury for a lot of folks, ” Farley said. “The water situation has made things dire for everyone here.”
Beaumont, along with Port Arthur, was devastated after Harvey made another landfall Wednesday.
“Due to the failure of the city’s water pump, it is in the best interest of our current patients to transfer to other acute care facilities, ” the hospital system said in a statement Thursday morning.
“Due to the city-wide lack of services, we have no other alternative but to discontinue all services which will include emergency services. This is being done immediately.”
‘I have no food. I have no water.’
About 20 miles southeast of Beaumont, the pleas for help keep growing in Port Arthur.
Julia Chatham and her neighbors are trapped in her home, with virtually no supplies.
“All I have in my house is power. I have no food. I have no water. I only have power in my house. I don’t have no way of getting around, ” Chatham said.
“I’m stuck upstairs. It’s just me and my dog. And I’m upstairs with my other neighbors. It’s like five of us up here.”
Across the state, families are searching tirelessly for missing relatives six days after Harvey first pummeled the Texas coast
The Coast Guard has rescued more than 6,000 people, and Houston police and firefighters have rescued several thousand more.
But at least 37 Texans have died from Harvey’s wrath.
Among the dead are a Houston man who was electrocuted while walking in floodwaters and a mother whose body was floating about a half mile from her car. Rescuers found her daughter clinging to her body. The child is in stable condition after suffering from hypothermia.
Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said Wednesday he believes the death toll will rise.
“We just pray that the body count … won’t rise significantly.” Acevedo said.
But Houston received a bit of good news Thursday. The pool level at Barker Reservoir — which officials feared would overflow — has peaked and is going down, the Army Corps of Engineers said.
And the city’s Addicks Reservoir, which was overwhelmed and caused widespread flooding this week, has also peaked. The water in that reservoir is also receding.
Electrocuted man tried to warn off friend
Countless stories of heroism have emerged in the aftermath of Harvey — including from some of the victims.
Andrew Pasek was walking through 4 feet of water trying to get to his sister’s house when he accidentally stepped on a live electrical wire.
“He felt the charge and knew something was wrong right away and tried to shake it off right away, ” said his mother, Jodell.
The 25-year-old quickly asked a friend to get away from him “because if you do, you know, you will go too, ” he told his friend.
