Picture this: Representatives at the emergency management headquarters in Houston try to coordinate the efforts of countless officials and volunteers to rescue folks as the rains keep coming down. But as they deal with the flooding, a new emergency arises: A chemical spill from a ruptured pipeline, and the danger of toxic gas spreading at a massive petrochemical district about 20 miles southeast of Houston.
Andrew Kragie, a reporter for the Houston Chronicle, says people in the area were told to shelter in place on Monday afternoon, but didn’t know that a caustic, poison gas had spilled nearby, until an hour after the alert.
Williams Gas Pipeline Company, which owns the pipeline, said the leak was small and was capped Monday evening, Kragie says. But it’s still unclear whether the leak was from damage resulting from Hurricane Harvey.
Written by Caroline Covington.
