"Information about potential environmental threats caused by Hurricane Ida have been slow in coming, but initial reports to the Coast Guard's National Response Center and the state Department of Environmental Quality confirm there were releases of crude oil, fuel oils and a variety of chemicals in numerous locations in southeastern Louisiana on the day before and the day of the storm.
The information that's available is not complete or comprehensive, consisting of initial call-in or emailed reports by company officials or others to the two agencies. They include releases of different chemicals by refineries and chemical plants when flares were extinguished by Ida's winds, as well as the possible release of sewage and wastewater in numerous locations in Jefferson Parish when power was lost, knocking out 95% of the parish pump stations that move waste through underground pipes.
The state environmental agency has already begun more detailed inspections of all facilities within Ida's path to identify concerns, with that information likely to be made public over the next few weeks.
On Tuesday, the National Response Center had reports on 11 incidents that occurred in Louisiana on Saturday, the day before Ida hit, through the end of Sunday."
Mark Schleifstein reports for the New Orleans Times-Picayune August 31, 2021.
SEE ALSO:
"Rescue Operations Underway In Louisiana As Ida Death Toll Expected To Rise" (Reuters)
"Louisiana Shrimpers 'Try And Survive' After Ida Sinks Boats, Destroys Homes" (Reuters)
"In Ida's Wake, Louisiana Faces A Month With No Power As Heat Soars" (Reuters)
"Smashed Grid May Leave New Orleans, SE La. In Dark For Weeks" (E&E News)
"Ida’s Aftermath Raises Environmental Fears in ‘Cancer Alley’" (Bloomberg Green)
"Louisiana's Energy Hub Surveying Damage After Hurricane Ida" (Baton Rouge Advocate)
"'Considerable Damage': Gulf Oil Hub At Port Fourchon Weathers Ida's Wrath" (Houma Today)
"Port Fourchon, Other Gulf Oil Facilities Likely Offline For Weeks After Ida" (World Oil)
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