Residents around the BP Whiting Refinery said there was a foul odor in the air and oil mixed with the water in the streets after flooding from Monday's storms.

Officials at the refinery confirmed their operations and facility were impacted by the storms.

Fred Davila has lived in Whiting for 50 years and said his tenants were complaining about the flooding, the smell and the sight of oil mixed into the flood waters.

"I had people calling me, telling me they had oil coming up into their basements," he said. "It smelled like gasoline. We can smell it right now, but it was probably five times worse."

In a statement, the refinery said response and operations crews are on-site to "manage impacts" from the storms and the flooding. They said workers are burning materials in the flares to keep operations safe, and also said they are aware of reports of "odors" from the neighboring community and are also working to address that.

Roberto Reyna was confident he saw some sort of oil or gas in the water that flooded his basement, and that he could smell a stench.

"You could smell the fumes," he said, and said he blamed BP for them. He said he was "Angry, upset and hurt."

Davila also said some people he spoke to got headaches and nauseated from the odor.

Officials have closed 121st Street in Whiting between Shrage Avenue and Front Street due to what the refinery called "a sheen," though they did not specify exactly what would have caused that sheen. They said they have crews working on that "situation."

"Whiting Refinery has detailed weather protection plans in place to handle these types of conditions and have been executing those plans from last night through this morning. Our top priority is the safety of our employees, contractors, and the community and the environment," the statement read.

Heavy rain overnight has caused flooding across Northwest Indiana, causing schools to start late Tuesday, basements to flood and roads to close. Officials said Hammond and other surrounding communities saw more than six inches of rainfall in 24 hours. 

CBS News Chicago also reached out to the EPA about the conditions at the Whiting Refinery and they said they are willing to come in to assess or help upon request.