In this Letter, Kimberley Miner and colleagues highlight the increased risk of post-disaster chemical release to coastal communities, which are poised to experience more frequent and severe storms as a result of climate change. The potential for damaging chemical release associated with these events is not yet incorporated into pre-disaster risk models, Miner and colleagues emphasize. These models must be updated in order to protect both human and ecosystem health. “A coastal urban ecosystem already suffering from storm damage must be protected from uncontrolled pollution exposure,” they say, “and this reality needs to be integrated into long-term planning for regional and national agencies.”
