This article originally appeared in Chemical Solutions, Issue 12.
No one at the Arkema chemical plant in Crosby, Texas, expected the unprecedented rainfall that resulted from Hurricane Harvey last August. The site experienced record flooding, causing equipment to fail and stored chemicals to decompose, burn and release fumes and smoke into the air.
Twenty-one people sought medical attention after being exposed to the fumes and smoke. All the Arkema employees evacuated, and more than 200 residents living nearby were forced to leave and could not return home for a week.
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) investigated the incident and released its final report on May 24, 2018.
Key Findings
The flooding caused the plant to lose electrical power and backup power to its low temperature warehouses and some of its refrigerated trailers that contained organic peroxides made at the plant. The flooding also compromised the liquid nitrogen system.
Some of the organic peroxides have to be kept below 32 degrees Fahrenheit to prevent them from decomposing and catching fire. These chemicals are used to produce items like solid surface countertops and polystyrene cups and plates.
Three refrigerated trailers containing organic peroxides could not be moved to higher ground because of the flooding and lost power. The organic peroxides heated up and caught fire. Emergency responders did a controlled burn of the remaining six refrigerated trailers on higher ground because there was not a way to check on the chemicals inside the trailers and remove them safely.
The CSB found that many companies may be unaware of flood risks causing process safety hazards at their facilities because Federal process safety regulations do not require flood insurance maps and studies to be included in required safety analyses.
The CSB also found that there is limited industry guidance on flooding, and if provided, is either too generic or does not require conservative precautions to prevent a flood like the one Arkema experienced in Crosby.
Lessons Learned
The CSB said that “more robust industry guidance” is needed to help chemical companies prepare for extreme weather events, like flooding, to avoid similar incidents.
According to a 2015 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report, flooding from extreme rainfall events has increased and is expected to continue, placing many parts of the U.S. at greater risk for flooding. Future projections in this report show Texas leading the country in the possibility for flood-related damage.
The CSB’s suggestions include the following:
- Facilities should do an analysis to determine their susceptibility to extreme weather events like flooding, earthquakes and high winds.
- When conducting analyses of process hazards or facility siting, companies should evaluate the potential risk of extreme weather events and the adequacy of safeguards.
- When evaluating and mitigating the risk from extreme weather events, facilities should strive to apply a sufficiently conservative risk management approach.
- If flooding is the risk, facilities must ensure that critical safeguards and equipment are not susceptible to failure by a common cause and that independent layers of protection are available in the event of high water levels.