Last Friday’s massive polypropylene explosion at Watson Grinding & Manufacturing damaged 450 homes and businesses in northwest Houston.
Westbranch and Carverdale Neighborhoods Sustained Most Damage
According to the Office of Emergency Management and the Houston Fire Department, the buildings include:
- 35 structures with major damage
- 358 structures with minor damage
- 57 structures were affected
While it’s not clear how many of the structures are homes and how many are businesses, Houston Fire Chief Sam Peña previously indicated that roughly 214 homes were damaged during the January 24th explosion.
The neighborhoods of Westbranch and Carverdale were the worst off, with many residents forced to leave their explosion-damaged homes for the safety of a shelter.
Watson Grinding Promises Repairs, Offers Few Details
“It’s just been absolute hell,” one homeowner told KHOU-11.
“I’m in shock. I haven’t really cried yet,” she continued. “I’ve teared up every once in a while, but I’m too busy trying to just get a handle on my house.”
The CEO of Watson Grinding & Manufacturing has made public statements promising to repair all of the structures damaged in the explosion. But according to The Houston Chronicle, the company has yet to release any details on such a program.
It’s also not clear if residents would be prevented from suing Watson Grinding if they participated in any company repair program.
Houston Plant Explosion Remains Under Investigation
The powerful explosion at Watson Grinding & Manufacturing rocked northwest Houston shortly before 4:30 a.m., destroying a warehouse on the property and scattering debris up to two miles away. Damage in the surrounding neighborhoods was widespread and significant, with some residents reporting that their homes had been knocked off the foundations.
Two Watson Grinding employees died as they were using the plant’s fitness center. Twenty people – including 18 residents – were treated at area hospitals for non-life-threatening injuries.
Early reports indicate that a 2,000-gallon storage tank was leaking highly flammable polypropylene just before the explosion. So far, however, authorities haven’t identified the ignition source.
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board, a federal agency tasked with determining the root cause of major chemical disasters, is among several state, federal and local agencies investigating the Watson Grinding explosion.
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