"Advocates warn of environmental injustice in storms' wake," 22 September 2017 [subscription required]

After powerful hurricanes left Puerto Rico devastated and without electricity, advocates are warning lawmakers that systemic racism will compound island residents' environmental woes... Speaking at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's annual legislative conference yesterday, advocates called the U.S. territory's climate vulnerability the latest environmental problem to disproportionately harm people of color, along with lead-poisoned water and pollution-tinged housing. "These hurricanes wash away the mask of what's happening in this country in terms of poverty and inequality," said Damien Jones [with] Union of Concerned Scientists... The storms might rain on people equally, but lower salaries and less insurance coverage leave communities of color with fewer options to rebuild, he said... Coal-fired power plants, petrochemical facilities and Superfund sites are located predominantly in communities of color, he said, so the normally high levels of pollution spike even higher when storm surges wash over those areas or power outages cause leaks.