[StBernard] U.S. Coast Guard has confirmed that oil sheen and emulsified oil has impacted St. Bernard Parish Waters

Westley Annis Westley at da-parish.com
Fri May 7 22:26:41 EDT 2010


U.S. Coast Guard has confirmed that oil sheen and emulsified oil

has impacted St. Bernard Parish Waters



Confirmation has come in from the U.S. Coast Guard that oil sheen has
impacted the Chandeleur Island. There is additional confirmation from the
U.S. Coast Guard that oil sheen and emulsified oil has impacted the
Freemason Island. In the mean time, Plaquemines Parish President Billy
Nungesser has committed to join with St. Bernard in efforts to boom these
areas immediately.



St. Bernard Parish officials have continued to hire and utilize local
fisherman to deploy boom in needed areas of St. Bernard Parish waters and
marshes. St. Bernard Parish President Craig Taffaro is still waiting for the
150,000 feet of soft boom and 150,000 feet of hard boom that he has been
requesting, which is needed on an immediate basis to protect our waters and
marshes.



Thursday at Shell Beach, a Louisiana National Guard Engineering detachment
began deployment of a 300-foot bridge to be used as a peer for oil disaster
operations in St. Bernard Parish. This peer will be used to load up our
commercial fisherman with boom and other supplies for cleanup. The intention
is to have this site operating within the week.



A location has been set up in Fort Jackson, Louisiana to properly care for
the oiled birds and animals that have been affected by this oil disaster.
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries have several patrols out
on a daily basis to locate the affected animals and transport them to Fort
Jackson for care.



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 fishermen have been designated into teams and put to work in
their assigned rotations. To become 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 sign up to be hired at
the Breton Sound Marina at the Command Center. All volunteering fishermen
must include the Vessel Name, Owner/Captain Name, Contact phone, email and
address, Vessel Length, Horsepower and Draft.



A list will be published this evening 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.



The fishermen who received HAZMAT training will be able to pick up their
certification cards at the Command Center at the Breton Sound Marina some
time Friday.



Fishermen will be personally contacted to attend training sessions.
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 at Breton Sound. The Shell
Beach Command Center will start operations in the near future. Visits to the
site must be approved and coordinated through Belsom. Call ahead to ensure
your needs will be able to be met. Belsom will arrive at Breton Sound Marina
at 7:30 a.m. each day. Belsom can be reached at 504-444-6249.



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



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