Superfund sites can pose hidden toxic threats during hurricanes

When it’s not enough to simply batten down the hatches

As first Harvey, and then Irma, wreaked havoc over a several states, we were all glued to our TVs, watching and waiting.

But despite the obvious ways these storms cause destruction, there are other dangers that come along with them — even more than just what you’ll see from high winds and storm surges.

That means that even if your home emerges relatively untouched by a storm, you could be among the millions of Americans who are in jeopardy from something you probably never thought about.

And it can make the cleanup from a hurricane — or, really, any powerful storm — more than just hard work, but a toxic nightmare.

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The ‘other’ hurricane problem
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When the sun finally came out, many in Harvey and Irma’s path of fury found out that they were left with a lot more than flooded homes and cars that have to be hauled off to the junk heap.

It’s what’s been called a “toxic waste hurricane problem.” And it has to do with well over 1,000 Superfund sites scattered all over the U.S.

When you think “Superfund,” images of the Love Canal probably come to mind. But they’re actually all over the country, in places as diverse as Denver, Honolulu, and Brunswick, Maine.

These sites are contaminated by a wide variety of toxins that have been dumped, discarded and sprayed over the years. Superfund sites can be farmlands or orchards that were contaminated with too many pesticides, former factories where hazardous waste was left behind, toxic landfills and dumps, and on and on.

Right now, residents of Houston are dealing with “at least” five Superfund sites that were flooded, causing the spread of a witches’ brew of highly toxic and cancer-causing chemicals.

One in particular, called the San Jacinto River Waste Pits site, is an old paper-mill dump that had been leaking dioxin, a chemical with an especially nasty reputation. The EPA had been trying to contain it with an “armored cap” topped with rocks to keep the floodwaters from spreading it. Hopefully, that held.

In Florida, there were said to be more than 10 times that number — 54 Superfund sites, to be exact — smack in Irma’s path, many in flood-prone areas all around Miami. Interestingly, officials have been noticeably quiet on how they fared during the storm.

Erik Olson, a director of health programs at the Natural Resources Defense Council, says that a lot of the waste that “was supposedly under control” is now getting “mobilized into waterways and spreading throughout the community.”

Since hurricane season is far from over, this looming threat is something that anyone who can potentially be in a storm’s path needs to start thinking about right now — whether you’re on the Eastern Seaboard, the Gulf Coast, or even a little farther inland.

And while we can’t go out singlehandedly and start cleaning up what the EPA has supposedly been working on for a long time, there are two important steps we can take to protect ourselves, our families, and our property.

#1: Go to epa.gov/superfund and click on the link at the bottom left that says, “Sites where you live.” Once on that page, click on the EPA region where your state is located, and you’ll get a list of cities in that region with Superfund sites. You can also click on any corresponding site name and get a complete history of what it’s contaminated with, and how far along any cleanup is.

#2: If you find a site in the proximity of where you live, don’t just assume the EPA has it under control. Call your local EPA office and find out what’s going on… and what its plans are, should any kind of storm strike.

And if they give you the runaround, start making calls to your county health department, state DEP, even lawmakers. This is definitely one of those cases where the squeaky wheel gets the grease.

With 1,322 current Superfund sites on the map (New Jersey, California, and Pennsylvania having the most)… and dozens more slated to be added in the near future… the best time to start doing something is before the Weather Channel trucks start showing up in your neighborhood!