A day after the 150 mph winds died down and the torrential rains left, the residents of this tiny community were still coping with a different threat. The chemical fire that erupted in the BioLab chlorine plant — sending black clouds laced with toxic gases into the sky — was still smoldering Friday, as state hazmat crews struggled to extinguish it. Hurricane Laura downed power lines, ripped away street signs and toppled massive trees that blocked roads. Power remained out, carports collapsed and windows were blown out of trailers. The Mt. Zion Baptist Church lost its steeple. But to Mossville, the storm was merely another assault from the oil and gas refineries, chemical manufacturers and other industries that have enveloped the town.
