The mayor of the US city of Houston has imposed a curfew for the night of August 29 as the city tries to curb looting following historic flooding in Texas.

Speaking at a press conference, Mayor Sylvester Turner announced the curfew will take effect from 10 p.m. on August 29 to 5 a.m. on August 30 local time.

The decision was made after city officials considered the current situation and the fact that many people cannot return home due to flooding, power outages, as well as extremely dangerous conditions on the roads at night.

City Police Chief Art Acevedo said he had previously proposed to Mayor Turner to impose the above curfew after receiving several reports of armed robberies in the fourth largest city in the US.

Regarding the flooding situation after Hurricane Harvey hit Texas, local authorities on the same day evacuated households living near a chemical plant in Harris County, which was ravaged by floodwaters in East Texas. This is a plant owned by the French group Arkema.

Arkema issued a statement saying that floodwaters submerged equipment and machinery at the plant, causing some chemicals there to react chemically, causing a fire and black smoke to rise.

However, the group has not yet determined the toxicity of this smoke and the potential risks of some other chemicals.

Arkema is currently using hydrogen peroxide for disinfection.

Also on August 29, US President Donald Trump visited Texas to assess the extent of damage caused by super storm Harvey after it made landfall in the state on August 25.

To date, at least 7 people have died here due to floods. Meanwhile, US officials warn that extreme weather in the coming days will force tens of thousands of people to evacuate.

Currently, major airports, most major highways and railways in Houston have been closed.

As of the evening of August 28, about 267,000 people in Southeast Texas were without power.

Police and rescue forces are working to rescue those trapped.

Hurricane Harvey, which is raging in the Gulf Coast region, is forecast to bring heavy rains and may return on August 30./.