Petrochemical releases disproportionately affected socially vulnerable populations along the Texas Gulf Coast after Hurr
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Petrochemical releases disproportionately affected socially vulnerable populations along the Texas Gulf Coast after Hurricane Harvey Aaron B. Flores 1,2 & Alyssa Castor 1 & Sara E. Grineski 1,3 Casey Mullen 1,3
& Timothy W. Collins
1,2
&
Accepted: 15 September 2020/ # Springer Nature B.V. 2020
Abstract Hurricane Harvey resulted in a natural-technological disaster in which flooding caused petrochemical facilities to release hazardous chemicals. Natural-technological disasters are rarely analyzed from an environmental justice (EJ) perspective. We calculated a Hurricane Harvey petrochemical hazard density index (PHDI) based on the locations of 42 facilities with reported releases along the Texas Gulf Coast. We used sociodemographic data from the American Community Survey to examine census tract-level social inequalities in PHDI (n = 1099 tracts). Results from generalized estimating equations indicate that tracts with higher proportions of Hispanic, disabled, or young residents had greater PHDI. PHDI was positively associated with tract poverty, with a slight downward curve at high poverty. Under conditions of higher Hispanic composition, the positive effect of poverty on PHDI was amplified. With more frequent storms predicted, regulatory agencies need to ensure that the petrochemical industry prepares for rapid shutdowns in order to protect residents from naturaltechnological disasters. Keywords Hurricane Harvey . Petrochemical release . Environmental justice . Na-tech
disaster Hurricane Harvey made landfall near Corpus Christi on the Texas Gulf Coast on August 25, 2017 (TCEQ 2018). The storm moved slowly, inundating southeastern Texas with as much as 60 in. of rainfall and generating wind speeds up to 130 mph
* Sara E. Grineski [email protected]
1
Center for Natural & Technological Hazards, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
2
Department of Geography, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
3
Department of Sociology, University of Utah, 390 1530 E #301, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
Population and Environment
(TCEQ 2018). The event damaged community infrastructure and over 270,000 homes, leaving many residents without electrical power or water. In total, Harvey caused an estimated $125 billion in damage, making it the second-most costly hurricane in US history (Blake and Zelinksy 2018). The Texas Gulf Coast is home to the largest petrochemical industrial complex in the USA (Meyler et al. 2007). Harvey revealed weaknesses in the preparation of US petrochemical facilities to withstand hurricane-induced winds, rain, flooding, and storm surges as Harvey wreaked havoc on this complex. The floodwaters that inundated parts of southeast Texas were contaminated with hazardous chemicals due to planned and unplanned releases of dangerous petrochemicals during and after Harvey (Karaye et al. 2019). Damages to petrochemical facilities received national news coverage. For example, the New York Times covered the August 31 explosion at the Arkema chemical plant in Crosby, Texas (northeast of Hou
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