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Ex-waitress gets house arrest, probation in casino scam

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Happy birthday Mia A. Grasso!

<p>CROSBY, Texas &#8212; The remnants of Hurricane Harvey carried its wrath up the Mississippi Delta on Thursday, but not before hammering the Gulf Coast with more punishing cloudbursts and growing threats, including explosions at a crippled chemical plant and a collapse of the drinking water system in a Texas city.</p><p>Even as Houston saw signs of relief in the blue sky and slowly draining waters, the storm&#8217;s fury was far from over to the east and beyond &#8212; with flash-flood watches posted as far away as southern Ohio. The National Weather Service said 4 inches of rain was expected to soak parts of Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee, with up to 10 inches possible in some isolated areas in western Tennessee.</p><p>In Crosby, Texas, on the northeast outskirts of Houston, two blasts rocked a chemical plant left without power by floodwaters. And the French operator of the plant warned that more explosions could occur as rising temperatures make the compounds inside volatile and dangerous.</p><p>&#8220;A threat of additional explosion remains,&#8221; according to a statement from officials at the plant, Arkema.</p><p>Authorities on Wednesday set up an evacuation zone in a 1.5-mile radius from the plant. But the risks also could be carried by the winds. One Harris County police deputy was hospitalized after inhaling fumes from the plant, and nine others sought medical care as a precaution, according to a tweet by the county sheriff&#8217;s office.</p><p>The condition of the deputy was not immediately known. He suffered respiratory problems after driving through a cloud of smoke, the Houston Chronicle reported. Arkema said the smoke was a &#8220;non-toxic irritant,&#8221; according to a sheriff&#8217;s office tweet.</p><p>The plant manufactures organic peroxides, a family of compounds used in everything from pharmaceuticals to construction materials such as countertops and pipes. But the stores must remain cold; otherwise, it can combust.</p><p>An even greater potential dilemma faced the city of Beaumont near the Louisiana border after the water system pumps failed after being swamped by spillover from the swollen Neches River. A statement from city officials said a secondary water source from nearby wells also was lost.</p><p>To the east &#8212; in the town of Orange, Texas &#8212; the water rose so high and so fast that people had to rush from their homes.</p><p>&#8220;It was unbelievable,&#8221; said Robin Clark, who was ferried, along with her mother and three dogs, out of her home on a volunteer&#8217;s boat.</p><p>Dozens of rescued residents stood in a pelting rain outside a Market Basket supermarket waiting for what was next.</p><p>&#8220;We don&#8217;t know what&#8217;s going to happen,&#8221; said Keeleigh Amodeo, 15, who was waiting with her sister and mother.</p><p>On Wednesday, New Orleans officials expressed relief that the city did not land in Hurricane Harvey&#8217;s destructive path and encouraged residents to support those impacted by the storm in Texas.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Men check on a boat-storage facility that was damaged by Hurricane Harvey over the weekend in Rockport, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/web1_harvey.jpg</photo0><caption0>Men check on a boat-storage facility that was damaged by Hurricane Harvey over the weekend in Rockport, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)</caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>The Washington Post</p></bylineMeta></div>

Blasts rock storm-crippled chemical plant in Texas as Harvey moves inland