A Catastrophic Neoliberal Legacy

The city of Crosby is also suing the Arkema chemical plant for negligence and prolonged sickness because of the toxins released by the blasts.The CEO of Arkema claimed the air from the explosions was "no more toxic than regular Houston air."The EPA recommends toxic cleanup when 30 ng/kg are present in the environment.Because the superfund site is located next to the San Jacinto River, a main tributary to the gulf, it is advised that Houstonians do not fish or eat fish, shrimp, or oysters from the gulf.Houston's local animal populations were severely impacted, but none more significantly than several of our native bat colonies.These colonies help to control the abundant mosquito population across Houston, and with the additional presence of standing water and lack of a full bat population, the post-Harvey mosquito count rose to astronomical numbers.All this focus on individual (citizen or business) efforts has eclipsed the coordinated effort from local and national government.The National Guard, FEMA.Army Corps of Engineers, police, fire and medical professionals from all over the United States, the EPA, and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have all been on the scene since before Harvey made landfall.