There are reports of communities in other states hit hard by Hurricane Helene or its remnants possibly going without City-provided drinking water for weeks to come. Some of that has to do with geographical issues. Jason Marion is an EKU environmental health science professor. He said water and electricity are the lifeblood of a community. Marion said steps are being taken at water plants in anticipation of extreme weather events.
“Backup generators at your water stations. Utility lines that are buried to the water plant so they’re not vulnerable to high winds. And then also essentially putting levies and other types of systems around your actual pumps houses, so that your pump houses don’t get inundated,” said Marion.
Marion said the building of dams has often been a debated issue, particularly when it runs counter to the Endangered Species Act. The EKU professor said the extent of damage caused by Helene again raises the question of how to deal with climate change.
Marion noted these types of storms can cause reconsideration of where to build houses and hospitals. Marion added that can fly in the face of history and tradition.
“How do you build an infrastructure without significantly altering the culture? I mean, I think of eastern Kentucky. There’s definitely a hollow culture and to remove that from the region is almost like stripping the region of its identity,” said Marion.
In considering the impacts of climate change, Marion said the time for action was 30 and 50 years ago and also right now. The Eastern professor said it’s becoming harder and harder to mitigate the harmful effects.
Here's more with Jason Marion:
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