About 1 Year After Florence & Michael Hit NC, Almost Nothing Done To Stop Next Flood Of Hog Manure
Almost a year after Hurricanes Florence and Michael hit North Carolina in quick succession, the eastern part of the state--home to extremely intensive industrial swine and poultry production--is again preparing to face a hurricane with the potential to wreak havoc on the region, Dorian. Not yet recovered from the storms of last season that were so destructive that their names have been permanently retired out of respect for the victims, the government and industry have done little to secure and improve conditions at industrial swine and poultry operations, which are in danger of flooding and spewing waste into waterways when the rains come.
As the rains come, our community partners have to brace themselves not only for the deadly winds and rains, but also for the potential breaches of hog lagoons and spewing of poultry waste. Many waste cesspools breached or overflowed after last year's hurricanes. To make matters worse, poultry operations have increased in the area dramatically and still do not even have to apply for a permit; rather, they are "deemed permitted." The legislature would not even pass a bill to study increasing safeguards at poultry facilities. And they are directly in the path of Dorian.
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So what happens when a massive hurricane dumps dozens of inches of rain here? If past hurricanes are any example, the answer is: nothing good. Hurricane Floyd in 1999, which was similar in scope to Florence, caused severe flooding, killed many tens of thousands of hogs (some estimate that storm claimed 100,000), compromised more than 50 manure lagoons, and exposed communities to bacteria from fecal matter in the waste from flood waters. Even after the flood waters receded, the microbial threat persisted.
More recently, two years ago in 2016 Hurricane Matthew hit eastern North Carolina and caused damage visible from outer space. According to the Waterkeeper Alliance, “the flood [after Matthew] partially submerged 10 industrial pig farms with 39 barns, 26 large chicken-raising operations with 102 barns, and 14 open-air pits holding millions of gallons of liquid hog manure.” North Carolina estimated that in Hurricane Matthew 1.8 million chickens and 4,800 hogs died. These are not just devastating losses, but an ongoing major health threat to neighbors in environmental justice communities. When industrial animal facilities flood, manure, decomposing dead animals and drug-resistant bacteria flow into flood waters and endanger surrounding communities, as well as the environment. Florence is expected to dump as much as two times the rain as Matthew, and the consequences could be dire. To make matters worse, without adequate communication from the state, residents—especially those in poor communities of color—are left wondering whether their water and soils are safe long after the rains stop.
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https://www.nrdc.org/experts/valerie-baron/facing-dorian-nc-faces-same-threat-hog-was-florence
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Sorry, that was just too easy!
