[StBernard] No damage to St. Bernard oil spill operations due to Bonnie; Oil response efforts expected to be in full swing Monday

[Westley Annis]

No damage to St. Bernard oil spill operations due to Bonnie

Oil response efforts expected to be in full swing Monday

 

Tropical Depression Bonnie caused one to two inches of rain in St. Bernard
Parish yesterday and overnight. There were no reports of flooding or any
other damage as a result of this weather system passing through the parish. 

 

St. Bernard Parish President Craig Taffaro, St. Bernard Parish oil spill
Command Center D/Branch Manager Col. David Dysart, as well as Safety and
Operations personnel did a damage assessment of Hopedale Command Center,
Shell Beach and Delacroix this morning. It was evident that the base didn't
sustain any damage from weather conditions and logistics and operations
personnel were given the order to immediately stand response efforts back
up. Crews began moving assets back to oil spill response operations.

 

St. Bernard Parish Commercial Fishing Fleet vessels involved in oil response
activities had already been preloaded with hard containment boom as part of
the Hurricane Preparedness drill. Hard boom that had been taken out of the
water to avoid displacement or damage from Bonnie was simply kept on the
vessels that removed it, saving time and effort to get it redeployed as soon
as possible. Vessels will depart first thing tomorrow morning to put boom
back in strategic areas such as sensitive wildlife areas and natural
collection points (where the oil has been observed to naturally collect as
part of the current cycle). Vessels that have been outfitted with skimming
equipment will also be back in operation tomorrow morning and will be able
to respond to sightings of recoverable oil as needed. 

Due to the wave action caused by the recent inclement weather, the water is
extremely muddy. St. Bernard Parish Branch Directors have ordered that
Commercial Fishing Fleet vessels capable of trawling be deployed to trawl
for subsurface oil as part of operations tomorrow. Additionally, the
Sentinel Snare Booms, snare or "pom pom" boom stretching from a buoy to an
anchor which submerged oil sticks to, will also be redeployed starting
tomorrow just outside of the Chandeleur Islands.

 

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