Two explosions were reported overnight at a chemical plant near Houston that was flooded during Harvey. 

  • Officials say they are trying to keep situation contained
  • More than 30 people died in Texas

Officials at that plant say they are working to keep the situation contained.

The Houston Chronicle reported a statement from the French company says the Harris County Emergency Operations Center reported two explosions and black smoke coming from the Arkema Inc. plant early Thursday.

The Harris County Fire Marshal's Office confirmed in a tweet that smoke was seen coming from the plant.

In a tweet, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office said a deputy was taken to the hospital after inhaling fumes. Nine other deputies drove themselves to the hospital as a precaution, the paper reported.

The sheriff's office stated in a tweet that company officials said the chemicals the 10 deputies breathed in were "a non-toxic irritant ..."


The Arkema Inc. plant in Crosby, Texas, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) northeast of Houston, lost power and its backup generators amid Harvey’s days long deluge, leaving it without refrigeration for chemicals that become volatile as the temperature rises.

The French company shut down the Crosby site before Harvey made landfall last week, but a crew of 11 had stayed behind. That group was removed and residents within 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) were told to evacuate Tuesday after the plant lost power.

Harvey has been downgraded to a depression and some water in Texas is receding, but the rescue operations continue.

In Texas, the official death toll surpassed 30 on Wednesday and was expected to climb as authorities investigated several other deaths to determine whether they were storm-related. Officials fear that the number of fatalities will climb sharply in coming days as neighbors, emergency workers and family members search for the missing — and discover the bodies of people trapped in waterlogged homes or encased in underwater graves inside cars.

And the death toll might rise even further in the recovery phase, from car crashes, carbon monoxide poisoning or other accidents during cleanup.

“Historically all estimates of deaths are wrong in the beginning,” said Craig Fugate, who was the Federal Emergency Management Agency director from 2009 until earlier this year.

Flash flooding is still a concern along the Texas and Louisiana border continue.

Residents in Louisiana are dealing with flooded streets and evacuations from Harvey's second landfall on Wednesday.

On Thursday, Vice President Pence is expected to visit Texas. He spoke to a crowd in West Virginia on Wednesday, where he thanked the rescue efforts from first responders across both states.

"President Trump and I commend Gov. Greg Abbott for his incredible leadership and the efforts of all the state and local officials in Texas and Louisiana," Pence said.

Police were recruiting people with boats to help check neighborhoods for anyone needing to be rescued.

Police said many were not calling 911 and instead, they were reaching out for help on social media.

Some people in Texas claim they tried calling 911, but there was no answer.

Harvey is a tropical depression and lifting through the Deep South and Tennessee valleys today. Rain will begin to abate in Texas and Louisiana as the center of low-pressure tracks northeast, but in its path it will still create the risk of heavy rain and flooding. Isolated tornadoes remain a threat in these areas too.

Information from the Associated Press and Spectrum News Networks contributed to this report.