How hurricane debris gets cleaned up

From the creator

Correction: A graphic in this piece misspells Matthew Tejada's name. We regret the error. Massive hurricanes like Helene and Milton can leave a path of destruction in their wake. So, what happens to the debris that is left behind? PBS News spoke with David McEntire, an Emergency Management Professor at Utah Valley University and Matthew Tejada, Senior Vice President for Environmental Health at the Natural Resources Defense Council to find out. McEntire says there is a range of people and organizations involved in post-disaster debris management, saying, "One single disaster could fill up a landfill.” "It gets very complicated because you can have hazardous materials with the debris," McEntire said, adding "In other cases, they may open up other landfills to send the debris there." McEntire said the complexity behind the debris management can cause the process to take up to years to clean up and cost an enormous amount. Tejada adds that in the U.S., one element of the post-disaster impact is who is affected most. “One of the truisms in environmental justice is that certain communities are impacted first and impacted worst,” he said, meaning that traditionally, communities of color, low income white communities and indigenous communities are the ones that will feel the impact most. Watch PBS News for daily, breaking and live news, plus special coverage. We are home to PBS News Hour, ranked the most credible and objective TV news show. Subscribe for exclusive content in our n

Published 2024-10-21 · Watch on YouTube ↗
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