Chemical plants in Houston threaten explosions...could we face a Bopal India scenario?

via Fox News.

Officials in Harris County early Thursday reported two explosions and black smoke billowing from a flooded chemical plant about 25 miles northeast of Houston.

Fox 26 Houston reported that officials evacuated a 1.5-mile radius around the Arkema Inc. plant in Crosby. The plant lost power Sunday and its backup generators amid Harvey's days-long deluge, leaving it without refrigeration for chemicals that become volatile as the temperature rises.

One deputy was reportedly taken to hospital after inhaling fumes. Nine others drove themselves to hospital as precaution, the report said.

There was "no way to prevent" the explosion, CEO Rich Rowe said earlier Wednesday.

Story here. 

This is the current worry.

Houston is a pertro chemical powerhouse and they have tons of plants down there.  Now?  Harvey trashed the place, the power is out and cooling systems aren't working.

Like the CEO said.  There is no way to prevent an explosion and if the chemicals are toxic then we could be looking at a Bopal India scenario in the Southern United States.

So what's the butchers bill from this hurricane?

1.  The 4th largest city in the US under water.

2.  Hundreds of thousands cars destroyed beyond repair.

3.  Thousands of houses essentially destroyed.  Repairing them after the flood will take months.

4.  The economic engine for that region has been silenced and its citizens displaced.

Yeah.

This thing is gonna be a sucker punch to the US economy.