Environmental hazards can be found everywhere, but do you what hazards are in your community? And if you are looking for a home, what’s in your new neighborhood? Here are a few resources to help you know what hazards reside in your area and where to go for help:
- The EPA Enviro-Atlas Map (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas/enviroatlas-interactive-map) – An extensive interactive map that combines over 500 maps and tools to learn a lot about your community. Viewed best on a larger screens.
- Toxic Sites (https://www.epa.gov/cleanups/cleanups-my-community) – Another EPA site, but this one only focuses on toxic sites, and past and present clean-up efforts.
- The FEMA National Hazard Map (https://hazards.fema.gov/nri/map) – A quick and easy interactive map that lists the likelihood of natural hazards in your county. Viewed best on larger screens.
- Neglected Dams (https://interactives.ap.org/dams-legacy-of-neglect/) – There are over 1600 U.S. dams that are neglected and failing. Learn which ones are in your area.
- Coal Mines (https://www.eia.gov/coal/data/browser/) – A detailed map showing both active and inactive coal mines in each state.
- Nuclear Power Plants (https://www.nrc.gov/info-finder/reactors/index.html) – An important map that shows active nuclear power reactor locations.
Now that you are more aware of what’s in your community, here are numbers and websites to go to for help:
- Emergencies: For all major public threats including chemical spills, radiation leaks and illegal ocean dumping, call the National Response Center at 1-800-424-8802.
- Pesticide Exposure: Contact the National Pesticide Information Center at 1-800-858-7378.
- Report Environment Violations: Fill an anonymous form at https://echo.epa.gov/report-environmental-violations.