"Heat, drought, wildfire and insects threaten an iconic pine — and potentially an entire ecosystem — as climate change looms large in the American Southwest".
Flooding disasters can unleash some nasty substances into the environment, whether from Superfund sites, sewage plants or petrochemical and other industrial facilities handling toxic and hazardous materials.This week's TipSheet identifies some of the biggest risks, and offers starting points for your local reporting.
"Eleven additional plaintiffs and a new defendant have been added to a lawsuit against the company whose manufacturing plant experienced a series of chemical fires as a result of floodwaters from Hurricane Harvey."
"The U.S. Chemical Safety Board on Monday released stark photos of the scorched remains of containers at the Arkema chemical plant in Crosby, Tex., that burned in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey."
"PASADENA, Texas -- The U.S. government received reports of three spills at one of Houston's dirtiest Superfund toxic waste sites in the days after the drenching rains from Hurricane Harvey finally stopped. Aerial photos reviewed by The Associated Press show dark-colored water surrounding the site as the floods receded, flowing through Vince Bayou and into the city's ship channel."
"The chemical plant in Crosby, Texas, that caught fire in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey experienced a chemical spill more than a day before the fire broke out, according to a regulatory filing."
"After an oil tank in Houston’s Manchester neighborhood caved in, private monitors found levels that far exceeded California’s health guidelines".
Post-Harvey emissions of pollutants from Houston-area petrochemical plants make air unhealthy for residents to breathe.
"Texas has launched aerial attacks on mosquitoes swarming coastal regions of the state and threatening to spread disease and hinder disaster recovery in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey."
"Hurricane Harvey's floodwaters triggered a spill of almost a half-million gallons of gasoline from two storage tanks along the Houston Ship Channel, marking the largest spill reported to date from a storm that slammed into the heart of Texas' huge petrochemical industry."
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