Hurricanes, tornadoes, wildland fires and other natural disasters wreak havoc on people's lives. They lead to death and destruction on an often unprecedented scale. Everyone recognizes the short term impacts of such events. But not so many people are aware of the long term effects of the environmental toxins these disasters release.
A perfect storm
This year has seen some almost unprecedented natural disasters right across the US. Hurricane Milton was the second most intense Atlantic storm ever recorded in the Gulf of Mexico. Earlier this year, the Park Fire destroyed over 400,000 acres in California. And in the first half of the year, Oklahoma saw 2 category EF4 tornadoes within a few weeks. All of these events caused massive damage which can be grouped into 3 categories.
Floods
Hurricanes are almost always accompanied by severe coastal flooding caused by storm surges. But flooding isn’t just limited to coastal areas–Hurricane Milton caused torrential rainfall across much of Florida. St Petersburg FL saw an astonishing 19 inches of rain in a few hours. Tornadoes are also often accompanied by extreme rainfall events, which can trigger flash floods in their vicinity. And less than two weeks before Milton, Hurricane Helene caused severe flooding across six different US states.
Fires
Clearly, wildland fires cause extensive damage, destroying forests, buildings, and other structures. This causes billions of dollars of damage and can destroy whole communities. But both tornadoes and hurricanes can also trigger major fires. These are often caused by lightning strikes or by electrical power lines being ripped down by the wind. 2021 was a particularly bad year for fires in California, and many were caused by lightning.
Structural damage
Tornadoes are characterized by their startling level of structural damage. Often, every structure and tree in the path of a tornado will be destroyed. This destruction is then compounded by the flying debris whipped up by the wind. Hurricanes also cause immense structural damage due to the intense wind speeds. And self-evidently, fires can cause dramatic damage to a whole range of structures. High magnitude earthquakes are also a major source of structural damage as LA residents know only too well.
Longer term impacts
The short term effects of natural disasters are extremely visible. But often the longer term impacts are harder to see. Fires obviously destroy large areas of forest and woodland, leaving visible scars on the land for many years to come. But much of the other visible damage is soon rectified. However, there are hidden impacts that may last for years to come.
One of the most insidious long term effects is caused by pollution. Flooding can lead to sewage and polluted water getting deposited in people’s homes and backyards. Wildland fires are typically fought using water collected from lakes and reservoirs. This water is often polluted with a variety of chemicals. All too often, industrial and manufacturing facilities are also destroyed or damaged. This can lead to spills and releases of toxic chemicals that pollute groundwater in the area. Finally, modern structures are full of all sorts of plastics and other chemicals that are released into the environment during a fire.
Who is at risk?
These pollutants place many people at risk. Some of the greatest risks are faced by first responders dealing with the aftermath of these disasters. In theory, their safety gear should protect them from some of the acute effects. But in practice, major disasters often see safety protocols getting ignored. For instance, a firefighter can only wear their self-contained breathing apparatus as long as there are available refill air canisters. In a major emergency, these can be in extremely short supply. Meanwhile, wildland firefighters don’t even have this luxury, since the fires are often in remote locations and require firefighters to remain at the fireground for weeks at a time. Local residents are also at longer term risk from the pollution. All too often, pollutants end up in groundwater or wash into watercourses. In turn, this leads to well water getting polluted. There are a wide variety of different toxins that may be released during a disaster.
Sewage
Flooding usually overwhelms drainage and sewer systems. As a result, it often leads to raw sewage getting spread over a wide area. This is a clear short-term health risk for anyone coming into contact with the effluent. Problems include stomach bugs, infections, and even dysentery. But it can also cause longer term environmental damage, especially in sensitive ecosystems.
PFAS
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances or PFAS is a large class of manmade chemicals that have been widely used since the 1950s. They have numerous applications including nonstick cookware, greaseproof food packaging, waterproof clothing, and stain-resistant coatings on carpets. Since the 1990s, scientists have been aware that they are a major contributor to pollution, thanks to the slow rate at which they break down in the environment. Nowadays, PFAS has been identified in many waterways as well as soils near chemical plants. Any disaster risks aerosolizing the contaminated water or increasing the levels of PFAS found in drinking water. PFAS has been linked with a whole range of health issues, including cancer, reproductive issues, immunosuppression, and more.
Chemical releases
What happens when a disaster impacts a chemical factory, oil rig, or fuel store? All these are designed to resist severe weather up to a degree. But worryingly often, storms are able to breach the defenses. This can lead to spills of toxic chemicals that then leach into groundwater or are released into the atmosphere. This can even impact decommissioned nuclear sites, risking releases of low grade radioactive waste.
What can be done about this?
Dealing with the aftermath of natural disasters is already a long and expensive endeavor. But we believe dollars need to be spent on monitoring and remediating some of the hidden dangers identified above. This could include offering residents in affected areas toxin tests and focusing clean up operations on removing contamination.
