Local News

Residents Told They Can Return Home Near Arkema Plant

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Tony Maples Photography

 

“Arkema Inc. Crosby update 1.5 Mile Evacuation Zone Lifted for Area Surrounding Arkema Crosby Facility,” Arkema Inc. tweeted around 2:00 a.m. on September 4, 2017. The Arkema plant, located in a city just northeast of Houston called Crosby, endured several small explosions and fires due to floodwaters from Harvey. NBC News explains that in order to fend off a huge explosion, the plant held controlled burns of six remaining trailers full of highly flammable materials.

ABC 13 writes that during the explosions and burns, residents within a 1.5-mile radius of the Arkema plant were asked to evacuate due to the smoke and toxins in the air. After six days, they have been given the O.K. to return, as long as they wear “protective clothing” and only ingest bottled water.

Residents are very displeased by how the plant impacted their lives and forced them to leave their homes for an unknown amount of time. Many of the 100 families in the area have farms with animals that could not be evacuated, and they were not allowed to return home to feed them. “We know people are frustrated, and that’s our focus at the moment — is dealing with that frustration,” company executive Richard Rennard told NBC.