Abandoned Urban Areas Resulting from Catastrophic Environmental Catastrophes

In various corners of the United States, there are towns that bear the scars of environmental disasters. These communities, once thriving, have been transformed into places where the land and the air are tainted with toxins, leaving their residents to grapple with the consequences. This article takes a closer look at three such towns: Centralia, Pennsylvania, Love Canal, New York, and Picher, Oklahoma.

Centralia, Pennsylvania

In the late 19th century, Centralia was a bustling town, with nearly three thousand people calling it home. The town's supply of anthracite coal drew in speculators, and it soon became a hub for the coal industry. However, a fire that began in 1962 in the town's abandoned coal mines has not yet stopped, causing acrid smoke to rise from the depths of Centralia for half a century.

The fire, which has burned beneath the town for over five decades, has led to the evacuation of most of the town's residents. Today, only eight people remain, living in a small area that has been walled off from the rest of the town. In 1992, then-governor Bob Casey condemned all Centralia estates, but backlash from Centralia citizens kept the town's zip code alive until 2002.

Congress allocated more than $40 million to relocate Centralia residents in 1984, but the town's population fell from 1,000 citizens to just eight since 1980. The fiery coal mine continues to pose a threat to the town, with fears that it could ignite the town's waste disposal site and cause a catastrophic explosion.

Love Canal, New York

Love Canal was built directly over a kilometer-long pit that served as a chemical dump. In the 1950s, the Hooker Chemical Company deposited chemical waste in the area, including 21,000 pounds of toxic waste. Waste began to seep into residents' basements, water supplies, and even the air, causing residents to become sick.

After a community uproar in the 1970s, President Jimmy Carter deemed Love Canal a federal emergency area. The town was evacuated, and a massive cleanup effort was launched. However, despite two massive cleanups, Love Canal still poses a danger today, with high cancer rates within housing developments built near or on the water site.

Picher, Oklahoma

Picher, once a major producer of toxins, now has piles of rock containing deadly heavy metals such as lead, zinc, and cadmium out in the open. The dust of these metals is so thick that it can be found on everything, including residents' lungs. Mining companies are not contributing to the cleanup, as most have gone out of business.

Wired has described Picher as "America's Mad Max Town" and Armageddon, USA. Disagreements between the EPA and BIA have stalled any other cleanup efforts, leaving the town and its residents to continue to suffer from the effects of the toxic waste.

These three towns serve as a stark reminder of the consequences of environmental negligence. While efforts have been made to clean up these sites, the damage has been done, and the residents of these towns continue to suffer from the effects of the toxic waste. It is a reminder that we must be vigilant in our efforts to protect the environment and ensure that such disasters do not happen again.