Evaluating the impact of proximity to reported toxic release facilities and flood events on chronic health outcomes in the city of Galena Park, Texas.

Evidence has conclusively revealed that environmental justice communities experience poor environmental conditions compared to more affluent majority communities. However, there has been little research evaluating the health impacts of immediate proximity to industrial pursuits and flood events on a population compared to others living within the same community who are only marginally removed from these locations. This cross-sectional study (N = 130) utilized three approaches to assess health outcomes (1) the 12 item Short Form Health Survey, which creates a general physical component score, (2) self-reported noncancerous chronic conditions, and (3) self-reported diagnosis of twelve different cancers.

Integrating ToxPi outputs with ArcGIS Dashboards to identify neighborhood threat levels of contaminant transferal during flood events.

The convergence of flooding and environmental contamination heightens the potential for mobility and transfer of toxic substances. Spatial analytic platforms can help identify the risks of toxic substance release during flooding, but these platforms are not integrated with one another, making data sharing difficult across platforms. Using the Toxics Mobility Inventory for the State of Rhode Island, this paper presents a method which integrates Toxicological Prioritization Index outputs across multiple data visualization platforms.

Multi-Hazard property buyouts: Making a case for the acquisition of flood and contaminant-prone residential properties in Galena Park, TX.

The aftermath of extreme flood events can be particularly devastating for residential communities in proximity to flood-prone petrochemical facilities, as they are likely to experience multiple impacts from a single flood event. Hazard impacts could be from flood inundation to their properties, and floodwaters carrying contaminants from nearby facilities into their homes. While property acquisition or buyouts have been effectively used as a flood mitigation strategy, current buyout selection processes only factor in flood exposure, thereby ignoring other hazards such as exposure of properties to potential chemical substance transfer.

Buy them out before they are built: evaluating the proactive acquisition of vacant land in flood-prone areas.

Rising flood damages have prompted local communities to implement buyout and property acquisition programmes to eliminate repetitive losses for at-risk properties. However, buyouts are often costly to implement and are reactionary solutions to flooding. This study quantifies the benefits of acquiring vacant private properties in flood-prone areas rather than acquiring such properties after they are built up.

Combining Co$ting Nature and Suitability Modeling to Identify High Flood Risk Areas in Need of Nature-Based Services.

Coastal areas are often subject to the severe consequences of flooding from intense storms or hurricanes. Increases in coastal development have amplified both flooding intensity and negative impacts for coastal communities. Reductions in pervious land cover and replacement with impervious ones have reduced the amount of ecosystem services.