In the center of what many have categorized as catastrophic flooding rivaling that of the damage done by Hurricane Harvey sits the heart of the Texas Oil Industry. Flooding from the tropical storm, Imelda, hit the Houston area on September 19th flooding Houston and Beaumont. Many thought since the storm was downgraded to a tropical depression the worst of it may have been over, however, those classifications only measure wind speed. The real threat has come from the torrential downpour the area has been experiencing.
The rapid flooding caught many civilians by surprise, trapping thousands in their homes and cars. The Governor declared a state of disaster across 13 counties as the storm continued. Many are saying the current flooding conditions are worse than Hurricane Harvey. Two years ago, Hurricane Harvey left widespread destruction in its wake from civilian homes, businesses, and the string of oil refineries and petrochemical complexes, including ExxonMobil.
ExxonMobil announced on September 19th that it was shutting down the almost 400,000-bpd Beaumont Refinery because of the flooding. They have begun conducting a preliminary assessment to determine the impact of the storm. This outage is likely to be temporary. According to Business Wire on September 26th Exxon Mobil announced that it will donate $350,000 to the United Way and the American Red Cross to support local flooding relief assistance associated with tropical storm Imelda in the Beaumont and greater Houston areas in Texas.
With tropical storms and hurricanes becoming a more regular occurrence it is likely that this will not be the last time that Exxon will face these issues. This is one of the many reasons that it is important to have options throughout your supply chain to prepare for occurrences like these. Please contact your ChemCeed Sales Representative today about what we can do to help you when disaster strikes.