By The Environment TV.

The Coalition for Wetlands and Forests continues their fight to preserve the Graniteville Swamp, aka the Graniteville Wetland and Forest. This is the wetland that saved this Environmental Justice community, a community of mostly black and brown people, from flooding during Hurricane Sandy. We are right across the street from the wetland. This video is highly important to this cause because Carl Alderson, from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), proves the point that the community was saved from flooding during Hurricane Sandy and that we are at high risk of flooding, especially if we lose the wetland.

He also shows that a careless land use policy, with no one looking at the whole picture, has led to developments such as the Amazon Fulfillment Center nearby. With the filling in of that land, which was once a valley and now is a hill, and the addition of its very large structures, the Graniteville community is even more at risk of flooding. The policy of not looking at the overall impact of construction or land adjustment on the neighboring communities has to stop. Nothing in nature is isolated. Everything is connected to everything else.

No new land use should be approved without the consideration of the effect on nearby land and communities and without the consideration of climate change, which brings sea level rise, storm surges, and torrential rain flooding. Climate change, climate chaos, is happening now, not in 50 years. Just look at the fires on the west coast, now in 19 states; just look at the record-breaking hurricanes and flooding in the south. Look what happened to NYC during Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Let’s wake up and begin to heal the earth.

This is a recording of a toxic emission event from a nearby petroleum refinery. And of course, the prevailing winds are flowing in the direction of Graniteville. Gabriella Velardi-Ward recorded this event about 4 years ago. She sent the link to the EPA and then spoke to someone at the EPA after that. A man confirmed that these clouds were coming from the petroleum refinery and told Gabriella that the EPA had been there the day before inspecting. Gabriella responded, “What better time to emit toxins than when they know you won’t be coming back?” He told her that if it happened again to call the EPA, even if it was at night, someone would pick up. It happened again, and she called. No one picked up. And she called a third time, and again no one picked up. Nothing happened as far as we can tell.

A recording of peepers. The project architect told us that there were no animals in the Graniteville wetlands.

By The Environment TV.

“It’s Not Over” street and door-to-door flyering continues for Graniteville, Staten Island residents to protest the destruction of 15+ acres of wetlands and forests to make way for a new BJs and other stores along South Ave and Forest Ave. The Coalition for Wetlands and Forests is concerned about more destructive flooding from Hurricane Sandy type storms, increases in and forced flood insurance, loss of homes and property and all the effects that come with overcrowding.