T’bonne businesses consider post-hurricane recovery plan
May 11, 2010Thursday, May 13
May 13, 2010
Amidst BP’s efforts to stop the flow of nearly 200,000 gallons of crude from spilling into the Gulf of Mexico each day, a race against time. The clock is ticking, boom is in high demand but short on supply and the oil giant’s biggest move to curtail the spill, the placement of a 100-ton containment dome on the seabed, has failed.
Jason French, a BP spokesperson stationed at the BP Learning Center in Shriever, said last week the company was working diligently with local and state officials to resolve the problem. Even then, French acknowledged “…there’s not enough boom in the world to cover the entire Gulf Coast.” Now, area leaders are beginning to return echo.
More than 1 million feet of boom has been laid out across the Gulf to corral oil that has made its way to the surface. About 275 vessels, some of which are deploying the orange, snake-like material, are helping. But as the oil slick spreads west, diving into new waters, the issue becomes more pressing, and more uncertain.
“The amount of hard boom in the world is limited. We’re stretching to the extents,” explained Terrebonne Parish President Michel Claudet.
Officials from Terrebonne met with Rep. Charlie Melancon last week to discuss their plans if the crude moved west. Those plans, which were still in the works last Wednesday, are now complete.
Claudet said that even though they will monitor the deployment of boom, if it is needed, “…the boom installation, the boom placement are tasks that will be completed by the [U.S. Coast Guard] and BP.” Those activities will occur as the slick continues to encroach, because “…the situation changes minute by minute,” he added.
Both BP and the Coast Guard have vowed to take the “fight” to whatever areas are being threatened, said Claudet.
The oil company has also told officials that administration costs incurred as a result of response efforts will be paid back, an extension of the company’s bid to reimburse individuals effected by the spill.
By Monday, BP had spent about $350 million on oil containment, relief well drilling, settlements and other federal costs. But area leaders realize that money cannot buy supplies that do not exist.
PROTECT US, PLEASE
Melancon acknowledged that boom was running short, but said BP’s attitude thus far has been “can do.”
“They’re calling themselves the responsible party and they’re acting like the responsible party,” he explained outside the BP Learning Center. “We just have to find more boom.”
Melancon wrote a letter last Friday to President Obama, about two days after his trip to Shriever, requesting the use of military aircrafts to transport more boom to Louisiana.
“While the most important priority in minimizing the impact of this massive oil leak is to stop the continuing flow of oil from the Deepwater Horizon well, we must also ensure that the government is doing all it can to support the ongoing efforts of local fishermen and authorities laying protective boom along the coast,” the congressman wrote.
“The boom-laying operation represents the last line of defense between the sensitive shoreline and the oil slick,” he said in the correspondence.
U.S. Sen. David Vitter sent a similar request to Coast Guard Commandant Thad Allen, calling the gap in boom a “huge disparity.” At press time, Vitter said he expected the shortage to be righted by mid-week.
Despite the shortfall, those in the local arena are getting prepared.
Should oil hit home, officials from Terrebonne have drafted a plan, approved and implemented by the state, to protect the most vital areas of the parish.
Multiple sites on the east bank of Bayou Terrebonne have been identified as potential breach sites, as well as points on Grand Bayou Dularge and Bayou Grand Caillou, according to a priorities map dated May 2, 2010.
The Houma Navigation Canal would stay open, but certain areas could be blocked to capture oil as it floats up the channel, explained Claudet.
While crude has yet to reach nearby waters, he said sightings near Timbalier Island are being investigated.
Oil has already hit the Chandeleur Islands, an uninhabited part of the Breton Wildlife Refuge.
Numbers to Know
• To submit a claim with BP for damages: (800) 440-0858
• Info on types of damages eligible for compensation, and how to seek that compensation: ww.uscg.mil/npfc
• To file an unemployment claim: (866) 783-5567 or www.laworks.net
• To apply for disaster food stamps: snap.dss.state.la.us/ CustomerPortal/CPLogon/jsp
• To report oiled shoreline or request volunteer information: (866) 448-5816
• To submit alternative response technology, services or products: (281) 366-5511
• To submit your vessel as a vessel of opportunity skimming system: (281) 366-5511
• To report oiled wildlife: (866) 557-1401
Crewmembers from Marine Vessel Braxton Perry recover a deflection boom after three days of controlled burns in the Gulf of Mexico last week. * Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class JUSTIN STUMBERG / U.S. Navy
