Triton Industries Donates Pump
TRITON DONATES PUMP USED IN OIL SPILL TO PLAQUEMINES SO OFFICIALS CAN CLEAN RECURRING OIL & STORM DRAINS WHEN NEEDED
Triton Industries CEO Michael H. James and Triton COO Mike O’Rourke have donated a pump the company used in the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill to clean oil off the surface of water in Plaquemines marsh. Plaquemines Parish can use for cleaning oil that continues to daily affect its waters and marsh, and officials also can use it to clean storm drains after severe weather events. Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser thanked Triton officials for their generous donation. “These were the most successful pumps used in the oil spill,” President Nungesser said. “I saw first-hand how well this equipment worked. We are so grateful for this donation from a company that worked hand in hand with parish officials during the height of this crisis.” James said he was happy to donate the piece of equipment. “The oil is still coming in,” James said. “We see there is still a need.”
Officials pictured from left include: Triton Industries CEO Michael H. James, Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser, Triton Industries COO Mike O’Rourke and Emergency Management Director Guy Laigast in front of the pump Triton donated to Plaquemines. PHOTO BY KAREN TURNI BAZILE
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WORK ON HIGHWAY 23 IN BELLE CHASSE HAS IMPROVED DRAINAGE
Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser wants to thank the state Department of Transportation & Development for all of the drainage improvements on Highway 23 in the Belle Chasse area. The $209,000 in work that has been done from the tunnel to the Belle Chasse Auditorium involved converting 90 catch basins into drop inlets. The drop inlets have larger gratings that allow rainwater to enter the drainage system faster from the highway lanes. “In addition to all the improvements on Highway 23, we are now seeing the water draining better off the roads in the Belle Chasse area because of the new drainage by the state,” President Nungesser said. “We worked on this project for years with the state, and we are glad to see it finally getting done.”
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February 17, 2012 / 12:47PM
BARGE COLLISION ON MISSISSIPPI RIVER
NEAR RESERVE, LOUISIANA
12:47 p.m. update from the U.S. Coast Guard is that the barge has been secured and the leak contained. Parish President, Billy Nungesser reports that we are continually monitoring all water intakes and fresh water diversions in Plaquemines Parish. At this time, we do not anticipate any problems; however, we will continue to monitor the situation and advise residents and businesses of any changes.
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February 17, 2012
BARGE COLLISION ON MISSISSIPPI RIVER
NEAR RESERVE, LOUISIANA
This morning at 1:35 a.m., two barges collided in the Mississippi River near Reserve, Louisiana. In light of the spill up river, Plaquemines Parish President, Billy Nungesser has put the Belle Chasse Water Works on notice. At this time, we do not anticipate any problems; however, we will continue to monitor the situation and advise residents and businesses of any changes.
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SUPERVISORY CONTROL AND DATA ACQUISITION SYSTEMS (S.C.A.D.A.) TECHNOLOGY IS NOW BEING USED BY PLAQUEMINES PARISH GOVERNMENT Plaquemines Parish Government is pleased to announce it has begun to use a robust technology system called Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (S.C.A.D.A.) for the protection of residents and businesses throughout the Parish during potential heavy rain events. S.C.A.D.A. systems are a safe and sure method used to monitor water levels in drainage canals, rainfall quantities, and wind speeds. Although we are very successful in pumping down our canals prior to rain events, S.C.A.D.A. will further enhance our ability to protect the Parish.
“S.C.A.D.A. systems have many benefits,” said Billy Nungesser, Plaquemines Parish President. “These benefits allow us the ability to monitor real time tides and rainfall during storm events in addition to measuring water level readings in all drainage canals on both the east and west banks. Real time information can help keep a rain event from becoming a flood event and can go a long way in helping to minimize street flooding. Keeping residents and businesses in Plaquemines Parish safe is our number one priority and the earlier we can detect, predict and prevent hazards of any type, the sooner we can attempt to notify our residents and businesses of a potential hazard condition. S.C.A.D.A. allows us to do just that.”
If you would like more information about how this new technology will enable Plaquemines Parish to better protect and serve residents and businesses, call P.J. Hahn at 504-297-5629 or e-mail at pjhahn@plaqueminesparish.com.
Contact: P. J. Hahn
Phone: (504) 297-5629
Email: pjhahn@plaqueminesparish.com
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USACE To Modify BC Ferry Ramp
USACE will be modifying the Belle Chasse Ferry Landing Ramp on the Westbank in Belle Chasse to improve conditions for all vehicles accessing to and from the ferry.
Construction is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, February 15, 2012 and will last approximately 3-4 weeks.
During this time, expect delays. Traffic will be limited to one lane with flagman present during construction and USACE appreciates your patience and reminds you to please drive with caution through the construction site.
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Coalition Visits Washington
Press Release
February 9, 2012
Coalition visits Washington to encourage passage of RESTORE Act
-Local officials from five states go to DC to lobby for fairness-
WASHINGTON DC – This week, twenty locally elected officials from across the Gulf Coast traveled to Washington DC to lobby Congress to pass the RESTORE Act. The RESTORE Act is a bill based on the fundamental principal that fines assessed to BP and the other responsible parties due to the massive and tragic Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in 2010 should be directed to the region immediately impacted by this horrific event.
“The RESTORE Act is critical to ensuring the continued recovery from the Deepwater Horizon disaster, and it is only proper that Gulf Coast states, which are still dealing directly with the effects of the Deepwater Horizon disaster, should receive the lion’s share of the Clean Water Act fines,” Louisiana Congressman Steve Scalise said. “I appreciate our local officials coming to Washington and helping to inform and educate Members of Congress from other states about the need to quickly pass this bill.”
The bill is a vast collaborative effort crossing the borders of counties and parishes in five states, and has Democratic and Republican support in both the House and Senate. The Senate bill has nine bipartisan co-sponsors and the House has 38, yet the bill continued to lag in the congressional process.
“We must make sure that those responsible for this disaster do not abandon us,” said Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser. “We have to keep holding them accountable or we will be left to fend for ourselves like we have been left to do now. That’s why I went to Washington and that’s why I support the RESTORE Act. Any fines levied against those responsible should go to the areas hard hit by this disaster.”
While Congressional sponsors lobbied leadership, local officials walked the halls speaking to senators and representatives imploring them to do the right and fair thing by directing these critical resources back to those areas directly impacted. It is estimated that close to five million barrels of oil poured into the Gulf of Mexico during the Deepwater spill, and the impacts of such an environmental catastrophe will not be fully realized for decades to come.
Organizers hope that Congressional leaders in both the House and Senate along with the White House will see this not as a political chit to be traded and negotiated but the opportunity to restore the home, environment and economy for millions of Americans.
“Any dollars Washington received due to the Deepwater Oil spill should be sent to those that suffered and survived this horrific event and not lost into the national treasury to be spent on random pork belly projects,” said Gulf County Commissioner Bill Williams and President-Elect of the Florida Association of Counties, “Nothing would be more inherently unfair than to have the federal government profit from this tragedy.”
The event, organized by the Florida Association of Counties was comprised of commissioners, supervisors and presidents from counties and parishes across Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida. Attendees included, but were not limited to:
Florida
• Commissioner Grover Robinson, Escambia County
• Commissioner Lane Lynchard, Santa Rosa County
• Commissioner Bill Williams, Gulf County
• Commissioner Warren Yeager, Gulf County
• Commissioner Smokey Parish, Franklin County
• Commissioner Cecilia Jones, Walton County
• Commissioner Alan Brock, Wakulla County
• Councilman Bobby Nabors, City of Fort Walton Beach, Okaloosa County TDC
Louisiana
• President Young, Jefferson Parish
• President Billy Nungesser, Plaquemines Parish
• President Michel Claudet, Terrebonne Parish
• President Charlotte Randolph, Lafourche Parish
• Councilman Jerry Lafont, Lafourche Parish
• Representative Ray Garofalo, Jr.
Mississippi
• Derrick Surrette, Executive Director, Mississippi Association of Counties
• Jimmy Ladner, Hancock County Tax Collector and Assessor
• Steve Seymour, Hancock County Board of Supervisors
• Connie Rockco, Harrison County Board of Supervisors, Women of the Storm
Photographs by PJ Hahn taken Jan. 25, 2012.
(High resolution photographs available upon request.)
Oiled dead mangroves on Cat Island in Plaquemines Parish
A dead oiled pelican is one of four dead pelicans found on Cat Island in Plaquemines Parish.
A dead Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle, one of the most endangered of the sea turtles, lies in oil on East Grand Terre Barrier Island in Plaquemines Parish.
A tar ball on the shore of East Grand Terre Barrier Island in Plaquemines Parish.
Media Contact:
Karen Turni Bazile
504-274-2461 – office
504-704-0490 – cell
kbazile@plaqueminesparish.com
