[StBernard] St. Bernard Parish President Craig P. Taffaro announces confirmation of oil in St. Bernard waters; more booms are needed

[Westley Annis]

St. Bernard Parish President Craig P. Taffaro announces confirmation of oil
on Chandeleur Islands and Freemason Island in St. Bernard Parish waters;
more booms are needed

 

St. Bernard Parish President Craig P. Taffaro announced several key
developments mid-day. He has confirmed that oil has reached the Chandeleur
Islands and Freemason Island in St. Bernard Parish. There are reports that
the oil is affecting birds on the Chandeleur Islands. St. Bernard does NOT
have enough protective booms.

 

President Taffaro said he has reports that oil has affected birds where it
has reached the Chandeleur Islands, a crescent shaped series of barrier
islands that are a three-hour boat ride just to the southeast of St. Bernard
Parish. Additionally there are reports of oil on Freemason Island, which are
located a little closer to St. Bernard's inland marshes than the Chandeleur
Islands.

 

"We have sent a crew of 22 with clean-up materials and absorbent boom" to
the Chandeleur Islands. President Taffaro said. "We did receive some more
booms with some help from Gov. Jindal. It is important for us to keep these
partnerships going. "Part of the problem is that there is still a lack of
comprehension of just how massive of an event this can be for St. Bernard."

 

He said that he is receiving pitches from anyone who has a product that has
cleans up everything from bath tubs to driveways as a potential aid to help
with the spill. 

 

BP has been working in coordination with St. Bernard Parish officials to set
up a local phone bank to assist in answering all questions and concerns
regarding the oil response efforts. It will be a general information center
regarding the disaster and will provide guidance regarding any programs that
may be available to those residents affected by the oil spill. According to
BP officials, the details of this will be ironed out in the near future and
all information will be released as this develops. 

 

BP has set up a claims hotline for commercial fisherman can call to make a
claim. The number to call to make a claim is 1-800-440-0858. It is being
asked that all fishermen who attempt to access this program to please call
St. Bernard Parish EOC and report the effectiveness of this program. That
number is 1-504-278-4268.

 

All registered fisherman have been designated into teams and given
responsibilities in their respective zones. To become registered to be hired
by St. Bernard Parish in this effort, you must be able to prove that you are
a resident of St. Bernard Parish. There will be no exceptions. Fishermen can
continue to sign up through the website at www.sbpg.net
<http://www.sbpg.net/>  at the Contact Us button, by email to
kbazile at sbpg.net <mailto:kbazile at sbpg.net>  or by phone to the Office of
Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness at 504-278-4268. All
volunteering fishermen must include the Vessel Name, Owner/Captain Name,
Contact phone, email and address, Vessel Length, Horsepower and Draft. 

 

A list is published on the St. Bernard Parish Government website detailing
which fishermen will be working on a day to day basis, as outlined by the
teams that were chosen earlier this week. Please refer to this list before
reporting to work at the Breton Sound Marina in the morning. 

 

Fishermen will be personally contacted to attend training sessions. No one
may attend if they have not been contacted. Additionally, access has been
restricted at Shell Beach and Breton Sound. Fishermen are asked to not
report to the launch points without proper authorization. Because St.
Bernard commercial fishermen have been financially impacted by the spill,
St. Bernard is focusing on linking the fishermen with BP's Vessel of
Opportunity program so they will be compensated for their efforts.

 

All members of the press are welcome to visit the Command Center location in
St. Bernard Parish in the Breton Sound Marina. Jennifer Belsom is available
for questions and brief visual tours of the site. It is best to call ahead
to make sure Belsom is available. Belsom will arrive on site at 7:30 every
morning and is the contact for this. She can be reached at 504-444-6249. She
is not on site currently. 

 

Please monitor the news for additional information. Updates also will be
posted on the parish website at www.sbpg.net.

 

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