Hurricanes Irma and Harvey Cast Spotlight on Toxic Threats in Our Midst

The document highlights how Hurricanes Irma and Harvey triggered toxic spills and explosions at industrial sites and Superfund locations in Texas and Florida. It specifically cites the Arkema chemical plant explosion and benzene contamination in Houston's Manchester neighborhood. The text argues that these disasters are exacerbated by the Trump administration's delays of the Financial Assurance Rule and the Chemical Disaster Rule, as well as insufficient federal regulation of coal ash ponds. It emphasizes that low-income communities and communities of color bear a disproportionate burden of these environmental hazards.

• Hurricane Harvey caused significant industrial failures in Texas, including the collapse of storage tanks that spilled at least 145,000 gallons of fuel and toxic contaminants, and an explosion at the Arkema chemical plant that necessitated evacuations within a 1.5 mile radius.
• In Houston's Manchester neighborhood, a low-income community of color, health officials detected dangerous levels of cancer-causing benzene (324 parts per billion) and volatile organic compounds linked to liver damage following Hurricane Harvey.
• Coal-fired power plants in Florida produce approximately 9 billion pounds of coal ash annually, which is often stored in earthen dams or landfills vulnerable to flooding and storm surges.
• The Trump administration has delayed critical safety and financial regulations, including a four-month delay of the Financial Assurance Rule for mining companies and postponing the implementation of the Chemical Disaster Rule until February 2019.
• Between 2004 and 2013, over 2,200 accidents and near-misses occurred at facilities under the EPA's Risk Management Program, resulting in 59 deaths and more than 17,000 injuries.

APA

Earthjustice (2017). Hurricanes Irma and Harvey Cast Spotlight on Toxic Threats in Our Midst. https://earthjustice.org/article/hurricanes-irma-and-harvey-spotlight-trump-administration-unprepared-for-flooding-toxic-waste-sites

Chicago

Earthjustice. Hurricanes Irma and Harvey Cast Spotlight on Toxic Threats in Our Midst. 2017. https://earthjustice.org/article/hurricanes-irma-and-harvey-spotlight-trump-administration-unprepared-for-flooding-toxic-waste-sites.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Earthjustice |title=Hurricanes Irma and Harvey Cast Spotlight on Toxic Threats in Our Midst |date=12 September 2017 |url=https://earthjustice.org/article/hurricanes-irma-and-harvey-spotlight-trump-administration-unprepared-for-flooding-toxic-waste-sites |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{earthjustice2017hurricanes, author = {{Earthjustice}}, title = {{Hurricanes Irma and Harvey Cast Spotlight on Toxic Threats in Our Midst}}, publisher = {Earthjustice}, year = {2017}, month = sep, url = {https://earthjustice.org/article/hurricanes-irma-and-harvey-spotlight-trump-administration-unprepared-for-flooding-toxic-waste-sites}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }