Hurricane Harvey News

2 Charges Against Arkema, Manager over Plant Fire During Harvey Dismissed

A judge has dismissed two of the charges a chemical manufacturer and one of its former executives were facing during an ongoing trial over a fire at the company’s suburban Houston plant during Hurricane Harvey that sent toxic smoke into …

Hurricane Laura’s Timing, Direction Bring Harvey, Katrina, Rita to Mind

Tropical Storm Laura morphed into a hurricane on Aug. 25, 2020 — three years to the day after Hurricane Harvey swept ashore on the Texas Gulf Coast — and is expected to make landfall just days before the 15-year anniversary …

Arkema, Executives Accused of Failures in Chemical Fire at Texas Plant

Jurors in the criminal case against the U.S. arm of a French company on Feb. 27 heard it routinely stored combustible chemicals where floodwaters could reach them and failed to alert emergency workers as toxic fires erupted. Arkema SA’s U.S. …

FEMA to Texans with Post-Harvey Group Flood Insurance: Plan for Standard Coverage

Following Hurricane Harvey in late August 2017, the Federal Emergency Management Agency issued three-year group flood insurance policies (GFIPs) to nearly 7,000 households in Texas that were impacted by the storm. FEMA says those policyholders need to plan now for …

Judge Rules Army Corps Not Responsible for Harvey Flooding Damage

A federal judge has ruled the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers isn’t liable to damage to thousands of Houston homes that were inundated by two federally owned reservoirs in the days following Hurricane Harvey because they would have flooded regardless. …

Trial Over Arkema Chemical Plant Fire During Harvey Set to Begin

Hurricane Harvey’s historic flooding in 2017 overwhelmed power systems at Arkema Inc.’s chemical plant in suburban Houston, eventually causing organic peroxides made at the facility to catch fire and explode, sending noxious black smoke into the air. The blaze forced …

Judge Rules U.S. Army Engineers May Be Liable for Hurricane Harvey Floods

Hundreds of Houston homeowners near U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-managed reservoirs may receive compensation for flooding of their properties during 2017’s Hurricane Harvey, a federal judge ruled on Tuesday. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACE), which managed two dams …

As Texas Windstorm Insurer Mulls Rates, Policyholders, Lawmakers Strongly Oppose Hikes

Texas’ property insurer of last resort for wind and hail in counties along the Gulf Coast is finding itself once again between a rock and a hard place — or perhaps more appropriately, between a hurricane and a tornado — …

Houston-Area Residents Get Encroachment Letters as Flood Control Projects Proceed

On a Friday night in August, Diane and Ted Simpson got home from work to find a certified letter from the Harris County Flood Control District notifying them that a portion of their backyard was in a public right of …

Texas Voters to Decide on Proposition to Create Fund for Flood Prevention, Recovery

State lawmakers want to create a dedicated $800 million fund for flood prevention and recovery that would be safe from future legislative budget fights. They’re asking Texas voters to weigh in via a constitutional amendment on the ballot next month. …