Oil refineries shut down as Harvey floods fuel contamination fears

The Guardian: Ten oil refineries in the impact zone of tropical storm Harvey have been shut down as a precaution against potential contamination from flooding in the region, as the storm began to move away from Houston late Wednesday, the US department of energy announced.

Six refineries have begun the process of assessing damage and restarting, while two refineries in the Gulf Coast region are operating at reduced rates, the department said.

Hundreds of people were feared cut off by flood waters on Wednesday as the storm moved east, inundating the industrial Texas cities of Beaumont and Port Arthur and making landfall again, coming to shore in south-west Louisiana.

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