Heavy rains from Florence caused a slope to collapse at a coal ash landfill at a closed power station near the North Carolina coast, Duke Energy says. "DEQ has been closely monitoring all coal ash impoundments that could be vulnerable in this record breaking rain event," Thorpe said. There are at least two other coal-fired Duke plants in North Carolina that are likely to affected by the storm. Environmentalists have been warning for decades that Duke's coal ash ponds were vulnerable to severe storms and pose a threat to drinking water supplies and public safety. "In this instance, it appears that Duke Energy has not done enough to ensure that its new Wilmington landfill safely stores coal ash.

Source: ABC News September 16, 2018 01:52 UTC