Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
With Immediate Threat From Florence Dissipated, Carolinas Begin Long Recovery Process
The New York Times: Hurricane Florence Has Gone, But Challenges For The Carolinas Have Just Begun
It will not be easy drying out, fixing up and rethinking whole ways of life in a region drenched and deeply shaken by more than eight trillion gallons of rain. But that is the challenge facing the Carolinas after Hurricane Florence and a wearying week of heroic rescues, hard choices, potential environmental crises — including a dam breach on Friday that allowed coal ash to seep into a river — and a vast response that is still unfolding. (Blinder and Fausset, 9/22)
The Washington Post: Dam Breach Sends Toxic Coal Ash Flowing Into A Major North Carolina River
North Carolina floodwaters continued to inundate a 47-year-old basin of toxic coal ash alongside Duke Energy’s L.V. Sutton power plant on Saturday, sending polluted waters pouring into a man-made lake and then into the Cape Fear River. The rising waters also swamped a 625-megawatt natural gas plant at the site, forcing it to shut down. The water at the plant was at least six inches deep, Duke spokeswoman Paige H. Sheehan said. Video released by state regulators Saturday showed equipment and buildings at the plant poking up from a vast expanse of water. (Dennis, Mufson and Eilperin, 9/22)
The New York Times: What Is Coal Ash And Why Is It Dangerous?
The phrase “coal ash” made headlines this week after a dam on a lake at the site of a power plant in Wilmington, N.C., was breached, allowing the hazardous ash into a river that supplies drinking water to much of the southeastern part of the state. The plant that was shut down, owned by Duke Energy, had been a growing concern since last week after heavy rains associated with Hurricane Florence caused a coal ash landfill at the site to erode, spilling ash onto a roadway. (Mele, 9/21)
