HOUSTON—Two Houston-area rubber businesses—the Houston branch of Lewis-Goetz, a subsidiary of Eriks North America, and National Hose and Accessory (NHA)—have reported all their employees are safe in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.
"All of our locations are operational today, and all of our associates are accounted for," said Katie Oswald, marketing manager for Eriks North America, in a Sept. 5 statement.
"Our concern is with our employees, and we feel very fortunate that the impact to our facilities has not been too severe," Oswald said.
"Our emergency preparedness plan is in place, and we are helping to support our people as much as possible at this time by determining how we can help them with their short-term needs," she said.
NHA created a text group to track all employees and their status before Hurricane Harvey made landfall, according to Don Fritzinger, CEO of NHA parent company SBP Holdings.
"Several employees have been displaced and many have realized damage to their homes," Fritzinger said. "That said, by utilizing the text group, we were able to confirm that all team members were safe."
NHA reopened for business Aug. 30, and is working with local officials to use NHA as a drop-off location for donations of diapers, toys and non-perishable food, Fritzinger said.
Hurricane Harvey made landfall on the Texas coast late on Aug. 25. It caused more than 50 inches of rain to fall in the Houston area, flooding some 30 percent of the land area of Harris County, Texas, where Houston is located.
At least 60 people died in the storm, and property damage was estimated at $160 billion.
Arkema Inc., a global manufacturer of rubber chemicals and plastics, suffered multiple fires of organic peroxide containers at its Crosby, Texas, site after power failed at the plant Aug. 28. At one point, authorities evacuated residents within a 1.5-mile radius of the Crosby facility.
Arkema officials, government officials and the Crosby Fire Department set controlled fires at the plant on the evening of Sept. 3 to allow the remaining organic peroxides to burn off. Shortly afterward, Crosby residents were allowed to return home.