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Newsletter 2005 issue 2 |
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Hazards Left in the Wake of Disasters
Hurricane Katrina serves as a reminder that hazardous materials can unexpectedly become a threat to public health and the environment. Make pollution prevention part of your emergency preparedness.
Hazards after the hurricane
Hazardous material specialists were asked to come to New Orleans for six months to assist with cleaning up the city.
Floodwaters pumped into Lake Pontchartrain contained chemicals, petroleum, industrial waste and sewage. A Washington Post article stated that several scientists and environmental experts said the floodwaters were likely to have infiltrated the area’s three Superfund waste sites—sites designated as having the worst hazardous waste contamination nationwide—and become polluted with a range of contaminants.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is conducting sampling and testing for a broad array of toxic chemicals to identify contamination in order to ensure the safety of returning inhabitants or for redevelopment.
The good news is that the emergency response preparations of large companies appear to have been effective. The companies reported that their hazardous materials were contained.
Minnesota emergencies
Although Minnesota does not need to worry about hurricanes, parts of the state do flood. Cleanup and rebuilding in Minnesota after the 1997 Red River Valley flood cost over $190 million.
“Floods give a lot of advance notice when they will occur, allowing businesses time to prepare their facilities,” commented Dorene Fier-Tucker, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) Emergency Response Team. But, tornadoes, which can hit anywhere around the state, don’t give much notice. And, we can’t easily predict how destructive they will be. Terrorist incidents are another unpredictable threat.
After a natural disaster, petroleum from damaged or flooded tanks is a common source of contamination, leaving behind oil slicks and contaminated land and debris.
“I’ve seen strange things because of disasters. Huge tanks tip over. They move a few inches across their concrete pads or down the block,” said Fier-Tucker. “You can never tell what will happen in a disaster.”
Following good business practices for managing chemicals can help reduce disaster-related risk.
- Store material properly on a daily basis to help build in safe guards.
- Practice just-in-time purchasing to minimize the amount of toxic chemicals on-site.
Pollution prevention—the best solution
One take away message from Hurricane Katrina and other disasters is if you don’t have hazardous materials on site, you don’t create hazardous waste—even when disaster strikes.
Include pollution prevention as part of your facility’s emergency preparedness planning.
- Replace toxic substances with less toxic or nonhazardous substitutes, where possible.
- Reduce the volume and number of different chemicals used.
For pollution prevention assistance, contact MnTAP.
Links
Standard Operating Procedures for Natural Disasters and Terrorism Incidents was written for emergency responders in Minnesota. For more information contact Dorene Fier-Tucker, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) Emergency Response Team, at 651/297-8656.
Floods: Minimizing Pollution and Health Risks
This MPCA fact sheet offers information on how to protect businesses from environmental problems caused by floods and how to clean up after a flood.
MPCA Emergency Response Web site
Information on response plans and links to emergency management resources.
Preventing Toxic Terrorism How some chemical facilities are removing danger to American communities.
White Paper on Pollution Prevention and Homeland Security, National Pollution Prevention Roundtable (5-page DOC), 9/05 This paper begins to define the relationship between pollution prevention and homeland security. It explores what role(s) the pollution prevention community can play in improving homeland security.
Hurricane Katrina Environmental Headlines
“Katrina Creates a ‘Toxic Soup’ Sewage, Industrial Waste Could Create a Lingering Hazardous Environment,” ABC News 8/31/05
“Fire and toxic waste are new threats to survivors,” Times Online 9/6/05
“Lake Pontchartrain’s toxic brew,” The New York Times 9/8/05
“Flooded Toxic Waste Sites Are Potential Health Threat,” Washington Post 9/10/05
“Katrina lays bare Superfund woes, Concern rises that storm may have compromised cleanup of toxic sites around New Orleans - and created new ones,” The Christian Science Monitor 9/15/05
For additional images of Hurricane Katrina from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
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