The severity and frequency of tropical cyclones are increasing in parts of the United States (US) due to climate change. (1−3) The frequency of jointly occurring precipitation and storm surge during storm events is also increasing in many US cities, exacerbating overall flood risk. (4−6) Low-income communities and people of color are disproportionately impacted by hurricanes and floods, leading to concerns that climate change will further exacerbate existing environmental health disparities. (7) National flood risk assessments have found that socially vulnerable and economically disadvantaged populations are more likely to live in flood zones. (8,9) After Hurricane Katrina (2005), many studies documented disproportionate flooding, displacement, and adverse health outcomes among low-income and Black residents of New Orleans. (10−13) Research following Hurricane Sandy (2010) identified socioeconomic disparities in flood exposure in New York City and Long Island. (14) Similarly, neighborhoods with higher proportions of Black, Hispanic, and socioeconomically deprived residents in the Greater Houston area experienced a significantly greater extent of flooding compared to White and high-socioeconomic status (SES) residents during Hurricane Harvey (2017). (15,16)

Extreme weather also poses risks to industrial sites like chemical plants, refineries, hazardous waste treatment facilities, and legacy cleanup sites that manufacture, use, or store hazardous materials. (17,18) Flooding, strong winds, tornadoes, and storm surges can damage infrastructure, cause power failures and equipment malfunctions, and prevent personnel access to industrial sites, which may lead to natural–technological (natech) disasters (19)─cascading events in which natural hazards trigger technological accidents that result in contaminant releases. Impacts from natech events have environmental and health equity implications. For example, oil spills from storage tanks can contaminate water sources, and releases of toxic air contaminants from chemical plants can cause acute changes to ambient air quality and increase the risk for adverse health effects. Because people of color and of low SES in the US are more likely to live near industrial sites, (20) natech disasters are likely to disproportionately impact marginalized communities.