Why Is a Dump for Hurricane Harvey Debris Next to an African American Community?

Julie-Dermansky-022
on

Tami Thomas-Pinkneyโ€™sย houseย in Port Arthur, Texas, was not damaged when Hurricane Harvey soaked the city with up to 28 inches of rain on August 29. Butย now, a month and a halfย after the storm, she is preparingย to move.ย Across the street from her familyโ€™s home is a temporary dumpsiteย for storm debris, which she saysย is endangering herย familyโ€™s health and making her homeย unlivable.ย 

Countless trucks haul the debris โ€”ruined building material ripped from storm-damaged homes and household belongings previously submerged in floodwater but now covered with mold โ€” past her house. Each day they rattle down the streets around Thomas-Pinkney, dumping theirย loadsย about a hundred feet from her frontย porch.ย 

She understands that after a disaster like Harvey, the city has to do something with the debris but is outraged that officialsย think itโ€™sย acceptable to dump it so close to a predominantly low-income African American neighborhood with a largeย elderlyย population.

Hurricane debris on a Port Arthur, Texas, street in October 2017
Hurricane debris lining a street in Port Arthur, Texas, on Octoberย 12,ย 2017.

Hurricane Harvey debris sat by a Port Arthur church in September
Debris from Hurricane Harvey sat in front of a church in Port Arthur, Texas, on September 22, 2017, but hasย now beenย removed.

Port Arthurย Mayorย Derrick Freeman said on hisย Facebook pageย that TCEQ confirmed that the temporary dump site, known as a โ€œDebris Management Site,โ€ is not ย โ€œjeopardizing our citizensโ€™ health.โ€ The site is one of many set up after Harvey, where storm debris is sorted before being moved to a landfill.ย The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ)ย claimsย that if the dump site is properly managed, it is not a healthย hazard.

But Catherine Dinn, a lawyer with Lone Star Legal Aid, said from what she has seen on her own visit to the dump, it isnโ€™t being managed properly. The workers arenโ€™t wearing protective gear, and there are no platforms for spotters to monitor the debris during unloading. In addition, she said the city is not testing for airborne particles and potentially hazardous material that could leach into the ground, and she doesnโ€™t think state regulators are either. TCEQ confirmed that it is not performing any contaminant testing at theย dump.

A worker at the temporary dump for hurricane debris in Port Arthur
A worker,ย not wearing protective gear, at the temporary dumpsite on 19th Street in Port Arthur,ย Texas.

As of Octoberย 12, the agency had based its evaluations of the dump on four site visits, each lasting between 30 minutes and an hour, according to an email from TCEQ representative Brian McGovern. โ€œNuisance conditions were not documented during any of these visits,โ€ย McGovernย wrote.

Thomas-Pinkney, who has more than 20 years of experience as a nurse, doesnโ€™t agree. She recognizes a health hazard when she sees one. โ€œThe dust from the dump made my daughterโ€™s asthma worse right away,โ€ she told me when I visited on October 12. As we spoke, a plume of dust drifted in our direction, causing me toย cough.ย 

โ€œThat is what we have to deal with every day,โ€ she said. โ€œWe all have scratchy throats and headaches now.โ€ Andย thoughย the trucks stop at night, Thomas-Pinkney canโ€™t get much sleep.ย She works a night shift and is faced with nonstop noise when she tries to sleep during the day. โ€œIsnโ€™t that a nuisance?โ€œ sheย asks.

Thomas-Pinkney has no doubt asbestos is one of the contaminants in the air, something TCEQ does not deny. โ€œAsbestos may be mixed in with the debris depending on the age of the demolition debris,โ€ McGovern confirmed in anย email.ย 

Hilton Kelley by the hurricane debris dump site in Port Arthur.
Hilton Kelley in front of the temporary dumpsite on 19th Street in Port Arthur,ย Texas.

Howย โ€˜Temporaryโ€™?

Environmental activist Hilton Kelleyย is alarmed by the debris dumpsite. He made a genuine effort to get the city to shut it down, even blocking a truck full of debrisย while he was there with a city councilman. The mayor said the city would look for an alternate site butย ultimately hasย decided to keep itย open.ย 

โ€œIt is appalling what is going on in that community,โ€ Kelley said. โ€œIt is a clear example of environmental racism.โ€ย Though TCEQ and city officials insist that the site is temporary, Kelley fears it will remainย indefinitely.ย 

Hilton Kelley and the makeshift hurricane relief center he set up in front of his restaurant
Hilton Kelley walks by a makeshift relief center set up on the driveway of his restaurant Kelleyโ€™s Kitchen in downtown Port Arthur. Organizations from across the country have been sending Kelley supplies, which are available to anyone inย need.

A child gathers donated supplies in Port Arthur
A young storm victim gathers donated supplies at a makeshift relief center in the driveway of Kelleyโ€™sย Kitchen.

Kelley has good reason to beย skeptical.

Authorization to use the site as a dump will expire on December 8, according to TCEQ, but McGovern said in an email that the agency โ€œexpects that an extension may be received for thisย site.โ€ย 

Kelleyย monitorsย the site from its perimeter frequently. โ€œIf [TCEQ] found no nuisances, they must have gone at midnight or they are lying. The trucks are tearing up the roads, making a racket, and creating a dangerous situation for the kids,โ€ย he said. Furthermore, he findsย TCEQ‘sย claim that โ€œno hazardous materials are being storedโ€ at the dump ridiculous. โ€œAll of the stuff people are getting ridย ofย is covered in mold and toxic waste, that is why they are dumping it,โ€ heย said.ย 

No Testing, Noย Problem?

I asked TCEQ whether it was testing for potential contaminant exposure to the community. According to McGovern, โ€œTCEQ has not conducted any testing at this site,โ€ and reiterated that, โ€œThese types of sites which are properly managed are not expected to pose a health risk to theย community.โ€

By not testing for contaminants, the city and regulators are giving themselves an amount of deniability, Wilma Subra, an environmental scientist and technical director for the Louisiana Environmental Action Network, said on a recentย call.

She understands theย need to remove storm debris quickly. โ€œEveryone wants that, but it shouldnโ€™t come at the expense of a community that is already exposed to pollution,โ€ she said.ย The dump is close to both Valero and Motivaย refineries.

Subra has seen firsthand the negative impacts of similar temporary dump sites onย African American communities in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and the Baton Rouge area after last yearโ€™s 1,000 year flood. โ€œWhen you put a staging area so close,ย it threatens the health of the community,โ€ sheย said.ย 

In Subra’s eyes, allowing storm debris to be sorted across the street from peopleโ€™s homes is a dereliction of duty. She thinks Thomas-Pinkney’s decision to move away to protect her familyย isย prudent, but clearly not everyone can doย that.ย 

An excavator at the storm debris dump kicks up dust
Dust in the air as debris at a temporary dumpsite on 19th Street in Port Arthur, Texas, isย sorted.

Truck spraying water to keep down the dust at a storm debris dump
Truck spraying water to mitigate dust particles in the air at a temporary dumpsite on 19th Street in Port Arthur,ย Texas.

The Communityย In-Power and Development Association (CIDA), an organization founded by Kelley whoseย missionย isย empowering residents in low-income Port Arthur communities,ย isย speaking out.ย โ€œThat communityย is already subjected to an inordinate amount of air pollution due to the [petrochemical] plants nearby,โ€ย CIDAโ€™s marketing director, Michelle Smith, told me, โ€œand with Harvey, things have gottenย worse.โ€

Smith analyzed TCEQ data on air quality.ย To quantify the increase in pollutionย nearย the dump,ย which is nearย two refineries, she looked at how much two known carcinogens,ย butadiene andย benzene, were released between August 27 and September 19. That period reflects refinery emissions from incidents and facility shut-downs and start-ups related to Hurricane Harvey.ย ย 

When Smith compared those figures with past emissions, she found a major increase. โ€œThis year the combined carcinogenic emissions [were] almost 157 times higher than the same period last year,โ€ย Smithย concluded.ย 

TCEQ air emissions data for carcinogens released in Port Arthur for a period in 2016 and 2017
Those numbers are โ€œhuge,โ€ Subra said, and are likely higher than stated because they are self-reported by industry and not verified by regulators. โ€œNumbers like this show industry has no method of controlling emissions when hurricanes hit,โ€ she said. Which is something, Subra thinks industry needs to fix before the next stormย hits.

Issues of Environmentalย Justice

Members of Lone Star Legal Aid, including Dinn, met with City of Port Arthur representatives on October 12 to ask the city to continue searching for an alternate locationย for the dump.ย โ€œCity representatives stressed the dump site is temporary, and that no other site was available,โ€ Dinn toldย me.ย 

The legal organization outlined its concerns in a letter before its meeting with officials, pointing out that the neighborhood next to the dump already faces disproportionate environmental burdens and public health hazards from nearby refineries.

The letter questions whether the cityโ€™s planning staffย has fully considered the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines for such sites that โ€œinclude not subjecting minority or low-income populations to the adverse impacts a dump would createย in accordance with Executive Orderย 12898.โ€ย 

The EPA guidelines โ€œrequires federal agencies (or any local government or governmental agency in receipt of federal funding from a source such as FEMA) to evaluate its actions for disproportionately high and adverse effects on minority or low-income populations and to find ways to avoid or minimize these adverse impacts whereย possible.โ€

A house across the street from a temporary dump for hurricane debris in Port Arthur
Home across the street from a temporary dumpsite on 19th Street in Port Arthur,ย Texas.

Dinn hopes the city will move the site, but short of that, her group will pressure the city to follow a list of guidelines to protect the community. โ€œTo do no testing at all is negligent,โ€ Dinn said.ย 

The recommendations include that the city โ€œconduct air monitoring on an ongoing basis for volatiles and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) gas.โ€ The letter points out the areaโ€™s high numbers of children and elderly, along with their vulnerability to theseย pollutants.

Dinn doesnโ€™t expect help from EPA‘s environmental justice office since its chief official Mustafa Ali resigned earlier this year. In addition, she worries the Trump administration might take aim at Executive Order 12898 and may even attempt to reverse it. A leaked internal memo indicated plans to dismantle EPAโ€™s office of environmental justice and cut grant programs for low-income and minorityย communities.

Thomas-Pinkney thanks God for helping her find the power to move on. Though she is relieved her family will be leaving before the end of the month, sheโ€™sย concerned about the expense of moving and paying rent at a new place after living in a house that she owned.ย But what troubles her most of all is leaving behind extended family members, some who are elderly and rely on her help andย company.

Thomas-Pinkney glanced at the dump from her front porch and swished a fly away. โ€œThat is another thing the dump has attracted, flies,โ€ she said. โ€œWe are used to mosquitoes, but now we have flies, roaches, and possums too. We are really going to miss this place, but who would want to live next to this?โ€ย ย 

Hurricane Harvey debris remains on a street in Port Arthur
After Hurrican Harvey, storm debris removal is ongoing in Port Arthur, Texas. Some streets have been cleared of debris but many haveย not.

More storm debris outside a home flooded by Hurricane Harvey
Debris from a home flooded by Hurricane Harvey in Port Arthur on October 12,ย 2017.

Main image:ย Tami Thomas-Pinkney with her daughter Trinity Handy on their front lawn in Port Arthur, Texas, across from one of the cityโ€™s temporary dumpsites. Credit:ย All photos by Julie Dermanskyย forย DeSmog

Julie-Dermansky-022
Julie Dermansky is a multimedia reporter and artist based in New Orleans. She is an affiliate scholar at Rutgers Universityโ€™s Center for the Study of Genocide and Human Rights. Visit her website at www.jsdart.com.

Related Posts

The EU and many member states have set limits for how much manure farmers are allowed to apply in their fields, but crucial oversight is lacking.

The EU and many member states have set limits for how much manure farmers are allowed to apply in their fields, but crucial oversight is lacking.
on

Robert Wilkie was speaking at a conference co-hosted by the group behind the radical Project 2025 agenda.

Robert Wilkie was speaking at a conference co-hosted by the group behind the radical Project 2025 agenda.
on

Scope of corporate influence underscores concerns the technology will be used to prolong demand for planet-heating natural gas.

Scope of corporate influence underscores concerns the technology will be used to prolong demand for planet-heating natural gas.
on

A 1961 oil and gas well is the suspected source of a geyser eruption in the region where Permian wastewater disposal is causing a flurry of earthquakes.

A 1961 oil and gas well is the suspected source of a geyser eruption in the region where Permian wastewater disposal is causing a flurry of earthquakes.