Chemical plants urged to rethink disaster plans

Panel probing Arkema says chemical firms must better prepare

The U.S. Chemical Safety Board, concerned about the increasing frequency and intensity of natural disasters, is warning the chemical industry to rethink its emergency plans in light of the Arkema fires.

The U.S. Chemical Safety Board, concerned about the increasing frequency and intensity of natural disasters, is warning the chemical industry to rethink its emergency plans in light of the Arkema fires in Crosby.

Hurricane Harvey dumped more than 6 feet of water on the Arkema plant. Floodwaters caused the site to lose the ability to keep volatile organic peroxides cool, leading to massive fires over multiple days.

Arkema asserts in documents obtained by the Houston Chronicle from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that the level of flooding from Harvey could not have been predicted. The Crosby location had not received more than 20 inches of flooding in its history, according to the company.

At a news conference Wednesday, safety board Chairwom- an Vanessa Allen Sutherland warned companies to not use the past to predict the impact of future storms.

“No one has a crystal ball, but we don’t want people to be lulled into a false sense that the plan they may have done two or three years ago is still going to be adequate,” Sutherland said.

She cautioned that storms are going to increase in frequency and intensity and companies need to be prepared. She said the safety board’s review of the Arkema fires would have significant implications for the chemical industry.

“We’re hoping our investigation will have broad national impact,” Sutherland said.

A Chronicle investigation into the Arkema chemical fires revealed the company was not prepared for more than 3 feet of

“We want people to be able to feel comfortable being near a facility, and that is part of the reason we focus on communities and having facilities tell people … even before an explosion or fire occurs, what they’re storing and what the consequences could be if there is a catastrophic event.” Vanessa Allen Sutherland, Chemical Safety Board chairwoman

flooding, leading to a number of critical equipment failures. The company’s emergency response plan contained only one paragraph about flooding. Its main power and backup generators were not high enough off the ground to prevent floodwaters from inundating them. The diesel-fueled freezer trailers the company used as its last line of defense failed once flood waters got into the fuel tanks thatwere 3 feet offthe ground.

Howc ompanies reassess their worst-case scenarios in light of an increase in intense storms such as Harvey is the “crux of this investigation,” said Mark Wingard, the safety board’s lead investigator on the Arkemacase.

“A number of facilities had flooding along the Gulf Coast,” Wingard said. “Was the guidance we had at the time sufficient?”

Arkema bought the facility in 1960, before flood maps were even around. But in 2007, updated maps put the Crosby plant inside the 100-year flood plain, Wingard said. Yet there are no regulations requiring companies in a flood plain to elevate generators or backup power.

Companies need to go beyondthe rulesandguidelines when considering how to prepare for floods, Wingard said, even though there are no federal rules that say they must.

Thesafetyboardis still in the early stages of its investigation, whichwill include what harmed first responders and Crosby residents in the aftermath of the chemical fires. Investigators were scheduled to talk to those affected by chemical releases from Arkema in the coming weeks. Wingard said the company has been cooperative.

Sutherland, the chairwoman, tried to reassure the Crosby community that the board’s investigators would get to the bottom of what happened.

“I can absolutely understand why and how they are feeling the way they are feeling, even without knowing specifically what might have been in the air,” Sutherland said. “We want people to be able to feel comfortable being near a facility, and that is part of the reason we focus on communities and having facilities tell people … even before an explosion or fire occurs, what they’re storing and what the consequences could be if there is a catastrophic event.”

The safety board is hoping to publish its full investigation into the Arkema fires before the next hurricane season starts in June. Mark Collette contributed to this report.