"WASHINGTON -- The Environmental Protection Agency is assessing the vulnerability of at least 40 toxic waste sites that could be damaged by Hurricane Florence in Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. But that review does not include dozens of inland Superfund sites that potentially could be flooded by the storm’s fluctuating path.
The Superfund sites include 29 in Virginia, six in North Carolina and five in South Carolina. All were apparently chosen because they sit close to the coast and could potentially release toxins following a damaging storm surge. But Florence is also expected to cause flooding deep inland in South Carolina, Georgia and other states. This flooding could extend to neighborhoods, industrial areas and Superfund sites that have never flooded before.
Following Hurricane Harvey, the EPA came under sharp criticism for not quickly sending agency personnel to toxic waste sites in Houston inundated by the storm’s drenching rains. Flooding and other storm damage can potentially rupture the “caps” built atop toxic waste sites, allowing contaminants to escape."
Stuart Leavenworth reports for McClatchy September 12, 2018.
SEE ALSO:
"Hurricane Florence’s Forecasted Path Includes About 9 Toxic Waste Sites" (HuffPost)
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