A chemical plant near Lake Charles, La., burns after sustaining damage from Hurricane Laura in August 2020. A new analysis finds about one third of hazardous chemical facilities in the United States are at risk from climate-driven extreme weather. ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Smoke and flames fill the air from a large chemical fire in Passaic, N.J. on Friday. Anne-Marie Caruso/The Record via AP hide caption
A flooded road leading to the Arkema chemical plant near Houston, Texas in August 2017. Multiple employees including the plant manager are facing criminal charges for allegedly failing to adequately prepare for flooding that caused massive chemical fires at the plant. Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
Petrochemical facilities in the Houston area are assessing their hurricane preparedness after Hurricane Harvey. This oil refinery reinforced storage tank roofs with geodesic domes — the gray caps on some of the white tanks in the photo — to better withstand a deluge. Win McNamee/Getty Images hide caption
Robert Taylor, center, speaks at a St. John the Baptist Parish council meeting in 2017. He and the other members of the citizens' group around him wear T-shirts that reference the safety limit for the chemical chloroprene. Julie Dermansky hide caption
A sign posted on a roadside fence outside a Dow Chemicals plant in Freeport, Texas. The front-runner for governor, GOP Attorney General Greg Abbott, sparked controversy recently by suggesting citizens should simply go to nearby chemical and fertilizer plants and ask what's being stored there if they are worried about hazardous materials. Pat Sullivan/AP hide caption