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Pipeline reopens, evacuation order lifted as Texas recovers from Harvey

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HOUSTON: Authorities lifted an evacuation order for the area surrounding a once-burning chemical plant and a major fuel pipeline reopened on Monday in signs that Texas was edging toward recovery from the devastation left by Hurricane Harvey.


The storm dumped some 125 cm of rain on the low-lying Gulf coastal region after coming ashore on August 25, killing about 50 people and causing what the Texas governor said could be up to $180 billon in damage.


Flooding led to a series of fires at the Arkema SA chemical plant in Crosby, about 40 km northeast of Houston. Containers of the chemicals, which are unstable if not kept refrigerated, started igniting on Thursday after power outages cut off cooling systems.


The US Environmental Protection Agency and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality performed a controlled burn of the organic peroxides on Sunday in order to eliminate any vestiges and reduce the danger. On Monday, the company said the Crosby Fire Department had lifted a 2.4-km evacuation zone around the plant, allowing neighbors to return to their homes, and that the company had opened an assistance center to help those affected find temporary housing.


“Some of the people within the evacuation zone had water in their homes and really wanted to get in there, but police wouldn’t let them,” said Daniel Jones, 67, who owns an antique mall in town. “People were worried about what’s in the air but the EPA has been on top of it.”


Organic peroxides made at the plant are used in the production of plastic resins, polystyrene, paints and other products.


The EPA has said its testing methods have not found toxic concentration levels in smoke from the plant, although 15 Harris County Sheriff’s deputies were briefly taken to a hospital last week after inhaling smoke from the fires. — Reuters


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