CROSBY, Texas – Officials evacuated this small town east of Houston Wednesday afternoon as they braced for the imminent explosion of a chemical plant that was ravaged by floodwaters from Hurricane Harvey.
Volatile chemicals at the plant, which is standing in six feet of water, could catch fire or explode at any moment in coming days, officials said. Owned by the French firm Arkema, the facility’s coolant system and inundated backup power generators have failed, according to the company. The plant lost primary power and then two sources of emergency backup power, said Richard Rowe, chief executive of Arkema’s North American unit.
Local media reported that a mandatory evacuation zone was established for a 1.5-mile radius as the last workers attempted to resolve the problem. Police cruisers and SUVs sealed off access to the Crosby plant on Highway 90, which connects Houston and Beaumont. Parts of the highway nearby were underwater.
“We have lost critical refrigeration of the materials on site that could now explode and cause a subsequent intense fire,” Rowe said. “The high water and lack of power leave us with no way to prevent it.”
The plant manufactures organic peroxides, a family of compounds used in everything from pharmaceuticals to construction materials such as counter tops and pipes. But the material must remain cold otherwise it can combust.
David J. Phillip, The Associated Press
Beth Kendrick pauses while sorting through belongings damaged by floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey at her parents home Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2017, in Houston.
Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle via AP
A construction crew cleans out the home of Kenny Licona, which was flooded out from Tropical Storm Harvey on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2017, in Spring, Texas.
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People wait in line to shop at a Food Town grocery store during the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 30, 2017 in Houston, Texas.
Monster storm Harvey made landfall again Wednesday in Louisiana, evoking painful memories of Hurricane Katrina's deadly strike 12 years ago, as time was running out in Texas to find survivors in the raging floodwaters.
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The Tellez family is evacuated from their home after severe flooding following Hurricane Harvey in north Houston Aug. 29, 2017 in Houston, Texas. Harvey, which made landfall north of Corpus Christi late Friday evening, is expected to dump upwards of 40 inches of rain over the next couple of days.
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People make their way out of a flooded neighborhood after it was inundated with rain water following Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 29, 2017 in Houston, Texas. Harvey, which made landfall north of Corpus Christi August 25, has dumped nearly 50 inches of rain in and around Houston.
Water from Addicks Reservoir flows into neighborhoods as floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey rise Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017, in Houston.
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A rescuer moves Paulina Tamirano, 92, from a boat to a truck bed as people evacuate from rising waters from Tropical Storm Harvey, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017 in Houston.
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Dean Mize holds children as he and Jason Legnon use an airboat to rescue people from homes that are inundated with flooding from Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 28, 2017 in Houston, Texas. Harvey, which made landfall north of Corpus Christi late Friday evening, is expected to dump upwards to 40 inches of rain in Texas over the next couple of days.
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People rest at the George R. Brown Convention Center that has been set up as a shelter for evacuees escaping the floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey in Houston on Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017.
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Mark Ocosta and his baby Aubrey Ocosta take shelter at the George R. Brown Convention Center after flood waters from Hurricane Harvey inundated the city on Aug. 29, 2017 in Houston, Texas. The evacuation center which is overcapacity has already received more than 9,000 evacuees with more arriving.
LM Otero, The Associated Press
Volunteers Brenda Tcoc, right, and Hugo Wilson help sort bags of donated clothes for victims of the flooding from Tropical Storm Harvey after a shelter opened at the Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017.
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An elderly woman leaves her home and is helped into a boat after flooding caused by heavy rain during Hurricane Harvey Aug. 29, 2017 in the Bear Creek neighborhood in west Houston, Texas. The neighborhood flooded after water was released from nearby Addicks Reservoir.
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Residents evacuate their homes near the Addicks Reservoir as floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey rise Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017, in Houston.
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President Donald Trump, accompanied by first lady Melania Trump, waves as they arrive on Air Force One at Corpus Christi International Airport in Corpus Christi, Texas, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017, for briefings on Hurricane Harvey relief efforts.
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Supporters of President Donald Trump cheer outside Firehouse 5 in Corpus Christi, Texas, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017, as the president received a briefing on Harvey relief efforts.
Evan Vucci, The Associated Press
President Donald Trump, accompanied by, third from left, acting Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and first lady Melania Trump, participates in a briefing on Harvey relief efforts, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017, at Firehouse 5 in Corpus Christi, Texas.
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President Donald Trump is greeted as he tours the Texas Department of Public Safety Emergency Operations Center, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017, in Austin, Texas.
Armando Bustsamante walks along the street over Buffalo Bayou as flood waters from Tropical Storm Harvey flow toward downtown Houston Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017. More than 17,000 people are seeking refuge in Texas shelters, the American Red Cross said. With rescues continuing, that number seemed certain to grow.
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Matthew Koser looks for important papers and heirlooms inside his grandfather's house after it was flooded by heavy rains from Hurricane Harvey Aug. 29, 2017 in the Bear Creek neighborhood of west Houston, Texas. The neighborhood flooded after water was released from nearby Addicks Reservoir.
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A man waves down a rescue crew as he tries to leave the area after it was inundated with flooding from Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 28, 2017 in Houston, Texas. Harvey, which made landfall north of Corpus Christi late Friday evening, is expected to dump upwards to 40 inches of rain in Texas over the next couple of days.
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People walk down a flooded street as they evacuate their homes after the area was inundated with flooding from Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 28, 2017 in Houston, Texas. Harvey, which made landfall north of Corpus Christi late Friday evening, is expected to dump upwards to 40 inches of rain in Texas over the next couple of days.
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People catch a ride on a construction vehicle down a flooded street as they evacuate their homes after the area was inundated with flooding from Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 28, 2017 in Houston, Texas. Harvey, which made landfall north of Corpus Christi late Friday evening, is expected to dump upwards to 40 inches of rain in Texas over the next couple of days.
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A person walks through a flooded street with a dog after the area was inundated with flooding from Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 28, 2017 in Houston, Texas. Harvey, which made landfall north of Corpus Christi late Friday evening, is expected to dump upwards to 40 inches of rain in Texas over the next couple of days.
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A Coast Guard helicopter hoists a wheel chair on board after lifting a person to safety from the area that was inundated with flooding from Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 28, 2017 in Houston, Texas. Harvey, which made landfall north of Corpus Christi late Friday evening, is expected to dump upwards to 40 inches of rain in Texas over the next couple of days.
Joe Raedle, Getty Images
People evacuate their homes after the area was inundated with flooding from Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 28, 2017 in Houston, Texas. Harvey, which made landfall north of Corpus Christi late Friday evening, is expected to dump upwards to 40 inches of rain in Texas over the next couple of days.
Joe Raedle, Getty Images
People walk down a flooded street as they evacuate their homes after the area was inundated with flooding from Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 28, 2017 in Houston, Texas. Harvey, which made landfall north of Corpus Christi late Friday evening, is expected to dump upwards to 40 inches of rain in Texas over the next couple of days.
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People wait to be rescued from their flooded homes after the area was inundated with flooding from Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 28, 2017 in Houston, Texas. Harvey, which made landfall north of Corpus Christi late Friday evening, is expected to dump upwards to 40 inches of rain in Texas over the next couple of days.
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Volunteers assist police in making welfare checks on flooded homes, Monday, Aug. 28, 2017, in Dickinson, Texas, in the wake of Tropical Storm Harvey. Floodwaters reached the rooflines of single-story homes Monday and people could be heard pleading for help from inside as Harvey poured rain on the Houston area for a fourth consecutive day after a chaotic weekend of rising water and rescues.
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People evacuate a neighborhood inundated by floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey on Monday, Aug. 28, 2017, in Houston, Texas.
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Volunteer Aaron Crump, center, and a police officer search a Dickinson, Texas, property on Monday, Aug. 28, 2017, in the wake of flooding due to Tropical Storm Harvey.
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People wait for a rescue boat as they flee their homes after the area was inundated with flooding from Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 28, 2017 in Houston, Texas. Harvey, which made landfall north of Corpus Christi late Friday evening, is expected to dump upwards to 40 inches of rain in Texas over the next couple of days.
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Evacuees fill up cots at the George Brown Convention Center that has been turned into a shelter run by the American Red Cross to house victims of the high water from Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 28, 2017 in Houston, Texas. Harvey, which made landfall north of Corpus Christi late Friday evening, is expected to dump upwards to 40 inches of rain in areas of Texas over the next couple of days.
Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle via AP
Tomng Vu holds her one-year-old granddaughter, Fatima, as they rest in a display chair at a store where they and other area residents took shelter after their homes flooded as Tropical Storm Harvey makes its way through the area on Monday, Aug. 28, 2017. (Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle via AP)
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An overhead view of the flooding in Houston, from Buffalo Bayou on Memorial Drive and Allen Parkway, as heavy rains continued falling from Tropical Storm Harvey, Monday, Aug. 28, 2017, in Houston. Houston was still largely paralyzed Monday, and there was no relief in sight from the storm that spun into Texas as a Category 4 hurricane, then parked itself over the Gulf Coast.
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Rescue crews search for people in distress after Hurricane Harvey caused heavy flooding in Houston, Texas on Aug. 27, 2017.
Massive flooding unleashed by deadly monster storm Harvey left Houston -- the fourth-largest city in the United States -- increasingly isolated as its airports and highways shut down and residents fled homes waist-deep in water.
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A truck driver walks past an abandoned truck while checking the depth of an underpass during the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Aug. 28, 2017 in Houston, Texas.
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This aerial photo shows a view of damage in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, Monday, Aug. 28, 2017, in Corpus Christi, Texas. Harvey hit the coast as a Category 4 hurricane.
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This aerial photo shows a view of damage in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, Monday, Aug. 28, 2017, in Corpus Christi, Texas. Harvey hit the coast as a Category 4 hurricane.
Charlie Riedel, The Associated Press
People push a stalled pickup to through a flooded street in Houston, after Tropical Storm Harvey dumped heavy rains Sunday, Aug. 27, 2017. The remnants of Hurricane Harvey sent devastating floods pouring into Houston Sunday as rising water chased thousands of people to rooftops or higher ground.
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Neighbors used their personal boats to rescue Jane Rhodes, Sunday, Aug. 27, 2017, in Friendswood, Texas. Harvey made landfall in Texas on Friday night as the strongest hurricane to hit the U.S. in more than a decade. By Saturday afternoon it had been downgraded into a tropical storm, but it had dumped over a dozen inches of rain on some areas and forecasters were warning that it could cause catastrophic flooding in the coming days.
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People walk through the flooded waters of Telephone Rd. in Houston on Aug. 27, 2017 as the US fourth city city battles with tropical storm Harvey and resulting floods.
David J. Phillip, The Associated Press
Evacuees wade down a flooded section of Interstate 610 as floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey rise Sunday, Aug. 27, 2017, in Houston. The remnants of Hurricane Harvey sent devastating floods pouring into Houston Sunday as rising water chased thousands of people to rooftops or higher ground.
Charlie Riedel, The Associated Press
People watch heavy rain from the relative safety of a flooded gas station caused by Tropical Storm Harvey on Sunday, Aug. 27, 2017, in Houston. The remnants of Hurricane Harvey sent devastating floods pouring into Houston Sunday as rising water chased thousands of people to rooftops or higher ground.
Nick Wagner/Austin American-Statesman via AP
A man drives by debris cluttered properties in Port Aransas, Texas, Sunday, Aug. 27, 2017. Harvey made landfall in Texas on Friday night as the strongest hurricane to hit the U.S. in more than a decade. By Saturday afternoon it had been downgraded into a tropical storm, but it had dumped over a dozen inches of rain on some areas and forecasters were warning that it could cause catastrophic flooding in the coming days.
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Melani Zurawski cries while inspecting her home in Port Aransas, Texas, on Sunday, Aug. 27, 2017.
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Aaron Tobias who said he lost everything stands in what is left of his home after Hurricane Harvey blew in and destroyed most of the house on Aug. 26, 2017 in Rockport, Texas. Mr. Tobias said he was able to get his wife and kids out before the storm arrived but he stayed there and rode it out. Harvey made landfall shortly after 11 p.m. Friday, just north of Port Aransas as a Category 4 storm and is being reported as the strongest hurricane to hit the United States since Wilma in 2005. Forecasts call for as much as 30 inches of rain to fall in the next few days.
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TOPSHOT - Damaged boats in a multi-level storage facility are seen following passage of Hurricane Harvey at Rockport, Texas on Aug. 26, 2017.
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Rain from Hurricane Harvey inundates the Cottage Grove neighborhood on Aug. 27, 2017 in Houston, Texas. Harvey, which made landfall north of Corpus Christi late Friday evening, is expected to dump upwards to 40 inches of rain in Texas over the next couple of days.
Scott Olson, Getty Images
Volunteers and officers from the neiborhood security patrol help to rescue residents in the upscale River Oaks neighborhood after it was inundated with flooding from Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 27, 2017 in Houston, Texas. Harvey, which made landfall north of Corpus Christi late Friday evening, is expected to dump upwards to 40 inches of rain in Texas over the next couple of days.
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A big rig lies on it's side on Hwy 59 near Edna, Texas, south of Houston, in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 26, 2017.
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People wait in a city dump truck on an I-610 overpass for evacuation during the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Aug. 27, 2017 in Houston, Texas.
Hurricane Harvey left a trail of devastation Saturday after the most powerful storm to hit the US mainland in over a decade slammed into Texas, destroying homes, severing power supplies and forcing tens of thousands of residents to flee.
Jon Shapley/Houston Chronicle via AP
Precinct 6 Deputy Constables Sgt. Paul Fernandez, from left, Sgt. Michael Tran and Sgt. Radha Patel rescue an elderly woman from rising water on North MacGregor Way, near Brays Bayou, after heavy rains from the remnants of Hurricane Harvey, Sunday, Aug. 27, 2017, in Houston.
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People make their way down partially flooded roads following the passage of Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 26, 2017 in Galveston, Texas.
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Ruby Young waits with her husband, Claude Young, after being rescued from their flooded home by boat and taken to a pickup point along Edgebrook Sunday, Aug. 27, 2017. The elderly man had many medical issues from a stroke in May. Rising floodwaters from the remnants of Hurricane Harvey chased thousands of people to rooftops or higher ground Sunday in Houston, overwhelming rescuers who fielded countless desperate calls for help.
Joe Raedle, Getty Images
Billy Raney and Donna Raney climb over the wreckage of whats left of their apartment after Hurricane Harvey destroyed it on Aug. 26, 2017 in Rockport, Texas. Donna and Billy were hiding in the shower after the roof blew off and the walls of her home caved in by the winds of Hurricane Harvey. Harvey made landfall shortly after 11 p.m. Friday, just north of Port Aransas as a Category 4 storm and is being reported as the strongest hurricane to hit the United States since Wilma in 2005. Forecasts call for as much as 30 inches of rain to fall by next Wednesday.
Eric Gay, The Associated Press
A trailer overturned in the wake of Hurricane Harvey lies upside down, Saturday, Aug. 26, 2017, in Aransas Pass, Texas. Harvey rolled over the Texas Gulf Coast on Saturday, smashing homes and businesses and lashing the shore with wind and rain so intense that drivers were forced off the road because they could not see in front of them.
Joe Raedle, Getty Images
Daisy Graham reacts to the news that a friend of hers may still be in an apartment that was destroyed by Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 26, 2017 in Rockport, Texas. The friends were found alive but still hiding in the shower stall after the homes roof was blown off and walls blown in by the high winds. Harvey made landfall shortly after 11 p.m. Friday, just north of Port Aransas as a Category 4 storm and is being reported as the strongest hurricane to hit the United States since Wilma in 2005. Forecasts call for as much as 30 inches of rain to fall by next Wednesday.
Joe Raedle, Getty Images
Lee Guerrero tries to kick open a door of an apartment after hearing his friends say they were hiding in the shower stall and were okay after Hurricane Harvey destroyed the apartment on Aug. 26, 2017 in Rockport, Texas. Harvey made landfall shortly after 11 p.m. Friday, just north of Port Aransas as a Category 4 storm and is being reported as the strongest hurricane to hit the United States since Wilma in 2005. Forecasts call for as much as 30 inches of rain to fall in the next few days.
Joe Raedle, Getty Images
Donna Raney makes her way out of the wreckage of her home as Daisy Graham tells her she will help her out of the window after Hurricane Harvey destroyed the apartment on Aug. 26, 2017 in Rockport, Texas. Donna was hiding in the shower after the roof blew off and the walls of her home caved in by the winds of Hurricane Harvey. Harvey made landfall shortly after 11 p.m. Friday, just north of Port Aransas as a Category 4 storm and is being reported as the strongest hurricane to hit the United States since Wilma in 2005. Forecasts call for as much as 30 inches of rain to fall by next Wednesday.
Mark Mulligan, Houston Chronicle via AP
As a preventative measure, empty Metro buses are lined up in the center lanes of Interstate 59 near Cavalcade in case their bus shelters flood, Saturday, Aug. 26, 2017, in Houston.
Joe Raedle, Getty Images
Valerie Brown walks through a flooded area after leaving the apartment that she road out Hurricane Harvey in on Aug. 26, 2017 in Rockport, Texas. Harvey made landfall shortly after 11 p.m. Friday, just north of Port Aransas as a Category 4 storm and is being reported as the strongest hurricane to hit the United States since Wilma in 2005. Forecasts call for as much as 30 inches of rain to fall in the next few days.
Joe Raedle, Getty Images
A Rockport firefighter goes door to door on a search and rescue mission as he looks for people that may need help after Hurricane Harvey passed through on Aug. 26, 2017 in Rockport, Texas. Harvey made landfall shortly after 11 p.m. Friday, just north of Port Aransas as a Category 4 storm and is being reported as the strongest hurricane to hit the United States since Wilma in 2005. Forecasts call for as much as 30 inches of rain to fall in the next few days.
Mark Ralston, AFP/Getty Images
A lies abandoned after heavy damage when Hurricane Harvey hit Rockport, Texas on Aug. 26, 2017.
Hurricane Harvey slammed into the Texas coast late Friday, unleashing torrents of rain and packing powerful winds, the first major storm to hit the US mainland in 12 years.
Ralph Barrera, Associated Press
Gov. Greg Abbott receives a briefing at the State of Texas Emergency Command Center at Department of Public Safety headquarters in Austin, Texas as they monitor Hurricane Harvey Saturday morning, Aug. 26, 2017.
Jack Fischer, NASA via Getty Images
In this NASA handout image, Hurricane Harvey from the cupola module aboard the International Space Station as it intensified on its way toward the Texas coast on Aug. 25, 2017. The Expedition 52 crew on the station has been tracking this storm for the past two days and capturing Earth observation photographs and videos from their vantage point in low Earth orbit.Now at category 4 strength, Harvey's maximum sustained winds had increased to 130 miles per hour.
Mark Mulligan/Houston Chronicle via AP
Two kayakers try to beat the current pushing them down an overflowing Brays Bayou from Tropical Storm Harvey in Houston, Texas, Sunday, Aug. 27, 2017.
Brendan Smialowski, AFP/Getty Images
People walk through flooded streets as the effects of Hurricane Henry are seen Aug. 26, 2017 in Galveston, Texas.
Hurricane Harvey left a trail of devastation Saturday after the most powerful storm to hit the US mainland in over a decade slammed into Texas, destroying homes, severing power supplies and forcing tens of thousands of residents to flee.
David J. Phillip, The Associated Press
Jennifer Bryant looks over the debris from her family business destroyed by Hurricane Harvey Saturday, Aug. 26, 2017, in Katy, Texas. Harvey rolled over the Texas Gulf Coast on Saturday, smashing homes and businesses and lashing the shore with wind and rain so intense that drivers were forced off the road because they could not see in front of them.
Joe Raedle, Getty Images
Jessica Campbell hugs Jonathan Fitzgerald (L-R) after riding out Hurricane Harvey in an apartment on Aug. 26, 2017 in Rockport, Texas. Jessica said is became very scary once Hurricane Harvey hit their town. Harvey made landfall shortly after 11 p.m. Friday, just north of Port Aransas as a Category 4 storm and is being reported as the strongest hurricane to hit the United States since Wilma in 2005. Forecasts call for as much as 30 inches of rain to fall by next Wednesday.
A continuous flow of trucks, many hauling boats to participate in flood rescue efforts, approached the police barricade near the facility Wednesday afternoon only to be turned away as Crosby Fire Department trucks crisscrossed the highway cut-through roads.
“It won’t wipe us off the map, but it’ll be a problem,” one officer said from a squad car of the impending explosion.
James and Deborah Hyer sat frustrated in a white pickup truck with a plant water tower in view. The were waiting with their three young children for the police to clear out so they could return to their home in Dayton, about 10 miles north of the barricade.
They were out of milk and water, with local stores either closed or cleaned out of supplies.
Their newly purchased double-wide trailer on top of a hill escaped much of the floodwaters, Deborah Hyer said, but some of their friends living at the bottom experienced complete devastation.
“They lost everything,” she said. One friend of hers, a single mother of five children, lived in a house on 17-foot stilts, but the water rose so high she had to evacuate, she said.
In tiny Kenefick to the northeast, neighborhoods built on the floodplains and banks of the Trinity River were destroyed, and relatives of friends who tried to evacuate were still missing.
As in other areas like Houston and its western suburb of Katy, residents remarked on the quick response of volunteers with fishing boats fanning out as self-deputized rescue units.
“Some authorities are helping, but civilians like the Cajun Navy are helping the most,” James Hyer said.
A Crosby Fire Department truck with flashing lights stopped as another man flagged him down to get updates on alternate routes to Dayton. “We have nowhere to go,” James pleaded to the firefighter.
“We have nowhere to go,” James Hyer pleaded to the firefighter.
“I’d go away from here,” the firefighter responded, though he conceded he did not know which nearby back roads were flooded or, like Highway 90, sealed by police. The Hyer family, resigned, turned around with their backs to Dayton.
Cleveland Walters, Jr., who also lives in Dayton, waited more than an hour outside his black GMC pickup to get home, where his wife and elderly 92-year old father needed to be cared for, he said.
“Dayton is where all my medicine is,” he said, ticking off the medical issues stemming from the Agent Orange he said he was exposed to while serving in the Air Force in Guam during the final years of the Vietnam War.
The runways for B-52 Stratofortress bombers taking off were choked with jungles, and the defoliant sprayed around his tent sparked skin and gastrointestinal problems. He takes about 30 pills a day, he said, and had only a limited supply with him as he sat on Highway 90.
But Walters wasn’t overly concerned about the plant’s reported impending explosion, after working in the oil industry for many years after his service.
“I drive by it about every day. It is what is,” he said. He left soon after, and like the Hyer family, put more distance between himself and Dayton as rescue vehicles roared to Beaumont.