Plume from flooded Texas chemical plant ‘incredibly dangerous’

The plume of fumes from a flooded Texas chemical plant is “incredibly dangerous,” the head of the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) says Thursday.

Two explosions were reported overnight at the chemical plant in the town of Crosby and officials have ordered residents within 1.5 miles (three kilometers) of the facility to evacuate.

“The bottom line is that we do what’s called plume modeling,” FEMA Administrator Brock Long says at a press briefing. “And that’s what we base a lot of the evacuations on. And so by all means, yes, the plume is incredibly dangerous.”

The plant operated by Arkema Inc produces organic peroxides, which have a number of commercial uses, including plastics, pharmaceuticals and construction materials.

The Harris County Fire Marshal’s Office said there had been “a series of chemical reactions at the @Arkema_Inc Crosby facility” overnight.

“There has been intermittent smoke, please stay clear of the area,” it said.

The Harris County Sheriff’s Office said one deputy had been taken to the hospital after inhaling fumes from the plant, while nine others drove themselves there as a “precaution.”

— AFP