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The chemical sector says access to risk management plans should be guarded because the info could be used in a terrorist attack. 1/x https://southerlymag.org/2020/12/07/louisiana-chemical-facilities-are-ticking-time-bombs-during-hurricanes-residents-are-left-in-the-dark-about-the-risks
That means residents and emergency responders are left in the dark about worst case scenarios if a nearby plant is damaged by a hurricane. 2/x
To view the plans, residents have to book an appointment at a federal reading room 7 days ahead of time by leaving a message on a Department of Justice phone line. Paper copies are mailed to the reading room and residents can only take handwritten notes. 3/x
The plans must be viewed in the company of a U.S. Marshal. The two federal reading rooms in Louisiana are in Baton Rouge and Shreveport. Only 10 RMPs can be viewed by an individual per month. 4/x
Southerly and WWNO viewed the RMPs for the 30 coastal facilities with the highest amount of toxic chemicals stored on site in the 21 southern parishes that make up Louisiana’s coastal zone for this story 5/x https://www.wwno.org/post/ticking-time-bombs-residents-kept-dark-about-risks-las-chemical-plants-during-storms
Can you imagine trying to go through all these steps while juggling a full-time job just to find out what chemicals you could be exposed to during a hurricane? 6/x
On my first trip to Baton Rouge, I got trapped inside the stairwell at the courthouse because I didn’t know guests could only navigate the building using the elevator. I started to feel like a criminal for being somewhere I didn’t belong. 7/x
But as a citizen concerned about the potential of an exposure to toxic pollution, I was exactly where the system put me. 8/END
