Never Any Consequences

A few decades ago, when something like this happened I would expect (naively or not) that maybe someone would face some consequences, that at least there would be financial compensation for victims. Now I assume not.

While attention has rightly been paid to the devastation of western North Carolina and other areas in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, a non-natural disaster in the southeast that appears to be unrelated to the storm transpired simultaneously. Over the weekend, a chemical plant in Conyers, Georgia exploded in a massive warzone-level blast. Billowing clouds of smoke could be seen from miles away. The nearby stretch of the I-20 highway shut down, 17,000 residents have been evacuated, and another 90,000 have been ordered to shelter in place. That order was reimposed Tuesday morning after briefly lifting, when a weather change blew the toxic clouds back over a populated area.

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But will the company that owns the plant have any cash left over for the victims of its negligence? A cursory look at its capital structure raises doubts.