Did you know: A Missouri town was abandoned after a flood spread one of the most dangerous chemicals ever made

Times Beach, Missouri, is an infamous American ghost town that was completely evacuated and disincorporated in the mid-1980s following the largest civilian dioxin contamination disaster in United States history. Today, the former city limits have been entirely decontaminated, demolished, and transformed into the Route 66 State Park In the late 1970s, local wildlife and pets began passing away mysteriously, and horses exposed to the sprayed arenas dropped dead. Residents began reporting severe health problems, including rare cancers, miscariages, and persistent illnesses. In December 1982, just as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was finishing its initial soil testing, a massive 500-year flood breached the Meramec River. The floodwaters submerged the town and spread the dioxin-saturated topsoil into homes, yards, and everyday spaces. Testing confirmed dioxin levels were up to 300 times the safe human limit. In early 1983, the EPA declared the town uninhabitable. Using funds from the federal Superfund program, the government executed a $33 million total buyout of the town. More than 2,000 residents were permanently relocated, and the town was officially disincorporated in 1985. #missouri #creepy #disturbing #History #weird