[StBernard] Oil Responders Expo Held in St. Bernard Parish to answer residents' questions

[Westley Annis]

Oil Responders Expo Held in St. Bernard Parish to answer residents'
questions

 

Oil responders held an Open House Expo Wednesday night to educate St.
Bernard residents regarding technology and tools being put to use in
response to the oil disaster. 

 

Houma Incident Commander, US Coast Guard Captain Roger Laferriere, as well
as Environmental Scientist Ed Levine from NOAA were on hand, along with
representatives from BP Claims, the LSU Ag Center, Louisiana Small Business
Development, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Health and Human
Services, the U.S. Coast Guard, Louisiana Department of Social Services,
Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, Small Business
Administration, as well experts in the fields of dispersants, wildlife and
alternative response technologies.

 

Informational booths were available for each agency and field of expertise.
The booths provided one-on-one dialogue with these agencies and experts as
well as demonstrations, diagrams and informational brochures for those
residents in attendance. 

 

Incident Commander Laferriere gave a touching speech to start off the Expo,
recalling his time spent in the area following the aftermath of Hurricane
Katrina. "I am the new Incident Commander in Houma for this incident. I am
back in Louisiana to fight for your way of life," Laferriere said.

 

"This gives the community an idea of what these agencies are doing. Things
that maybe don't get discussed at a town hall meeting can be discussed
one-on-one so that people have a much more comprehensive understanding of
what we're up against," St. Bernard Parish President Craig Taffaro said.

 

St. Bernard Parish officials are working with oil responders to schedule
future events to keep residents and those affected by the disaster up to
date on disaster efforts and progress. 

 

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