Bonnie tests area’s storm readiness

Although Tropical Depression Bonnie fizzled before reaching Louisiana’s coastline, Tri-parish officials agree it provided a good opportunity to test hurricane preparedness plans.

“We got together Friday and had a conference call with state officials and weather service officials,” said Terrebonne Public Safety Director Ralph Mitchell. “Then at 11 a.m., we met with the Unified Command and gave them a briefing of where the weather officials were standing, and where we were going and what we’d have to do for this storm.”

But thankfully, there wasn’t much to be done this time around, and both Mitchell and Terrebonne Parish President Michel Claudet were pleased with the parish’s preparedness.

“I think it was a good dry run and, as always, you reconfirm what needs to be done and find additional things that can be done better,” Claudet said.

Mitchell said Terrebonne implemented a good system, which it will continue to use.

In Lafourche Parish, officials moved the Emergency Operation Center from Port Fourchon to Mathews Friday morning before returning to the beach Sunday morning.

“We had a good test run for when a hurricane actually does come,” said Lafourche Parish Public Information Officer Brennan Matherne. “Every storm event, big or small, you always learn from it. You always look back at what you did or didn’t do.”

Although the conditions in every storm differ, Matherne said BP and the Coast Guard’s cooperation with the parish was very encouraging in the case of future storms.

“We learned that by the time that we make the decision to pull out, we have about a 24- to 36-hour timeframe that it is going to take BP and the Coast Guard to take their equipment down and move it and personnel out, and it’s about the same (timeframe) to bring it back in. We can live with that,” he said. “The idea that in one to two days, we can be fully operational after a storm has passed and the roads are cleared is pretty encouraging.”

Matherne said BP and the Coast Guard fully returned to Port Fourchon Tuesday. Workers are immediately beginning to repair Bonnie’s minor damages to hesco baskets and boom.

“We had some [baskets and boom] wash up because of the storm surge,” the parish spokesman said. “Most of the hesco baskets held up, but there were a couple of spots where six or seven baskets next to each other got washed up with the tide. Most of the 2.5 miles [of baskets] held up.”

Additionally, Matherne said some boom broke off of its chain and washed up in the marshes.

“The good thing is, from the air at least, it looks like the boom that did get dislocated was not affected by oil. It looked bright white still,” he said. “In the grand scheme of things, when you consider how much boom is out there, it was a minimal amount [that got dislocated].”

Matherne said he saw no new, significant impact on the marshes or barrier islands since Bonnie; however, some of the beaches will need cleaning.

“Riding the beach, we saw some more oil come up, but no oil got inland because the tidal surge wasn’t significant enough to push oil inland,” he said.

As parish officials assessed lessons learned from Bonnie, BP workers returned to the task of drilling a relief well to stop the Deepwater Horizon leak. And at BP headquarters, word spread that BP CEO Tony Hayward is being replaced by managing director Robert Dudley.

Dudley was tapped to replace Hayward after the CEO’s repeated gaffes incensed the public.

– Staff writers Jenna Farmer and Richard Fischer contributed to this story.