Texas hurricane & flooding

The US Energy Department distributed a million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to help the energy industry manage soaring prices in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.

Property damage caused by Hurricane Harvey in just parts of Harris and Galveston counties in Texas could add up to $23 billion, according to a Reuters report based on analysis of satellite imagery.

Record-shattering rainfall wasn't enough to dampen the Texas spirit as passersby formed a human chain to save an elderly man from his stricken SUV, surrounded by rising floodwaters left in Tropical Storm Harvey’s wake.

Activist groups seeking funds to help Hurricane Harvey relief efforts are coming under fire for alleged exploitation. One such group, the Texas Organizing Project, is being singled out for raising funds to benefit labor unions.

US crude oil and petrochemical refining capacity in Texas has been severely damaged by Hurricane Harvey, releasing hazardous pollutants into the air and flood waters left in the wake of the storm.

The CEO of the Arkema plant in Cosby, Texas has said that volatile chemicals at the facility northeast of Houston are degrading, which is expected to lead to a fire or explosion within the next six days.