Do you think that President Bush should clean up the Gulf Coast?
Katrina & Rita
Here's the EPA's Response Activity for Tuesday, September 20, 2005 relating to hurricane Katrina:
Media Briefing – On 9/21, EPA is planning a teleconference briefing for reporters on debris management with the Army Corps of Engineers, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality at 1 p.m.
Debris Assessment and Collection – EPA is conducting air monitoring at debris burn sites in Louisiana. EPA teams continue collection of household hazardous wastes (HHW) and orphan containers in the hurricane affected area. In addition, EPA personnel continue to offer technical assistance in the disposal of hazardous waste and other debris left behind by the storm. As of 9/19, EPA has collected in excess of 28,000 HHW/orphan containers throughout the affected region.
Public Information – On 9/19, EPA posted on its Web site an extensive list of questions and answers regarding flood water, drinking water, wastewater, human health, air issues, sediment, oil spills and superfund sites, asbestos, debris, and fuel waivers.
Sediment Sampling – On 9/19, EPA posted biological data testing results of sediment sampling from New Orleans taken on 9/10. On 9/16 based on the initial results of this data, EPA recommended avoiding all contact with the sediment, where possible, due to the presence of E. coli and fuel oils. In the event contact occurs, EPA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) strongly advise the use of soap and water, if available, to clean the exposed areas, and the removal of contaminated clothing.
EPA-CDC Report – EPA and CDC formed a joint task force to advise local and state officials of the potential health and environmental risks associated with returning to the City of New Orleans. The initial Environmental Health Needs and Habitability Assessment issued 9/17 identifies a number of barriers to be overcome and critical decisions to be made prior to reinhabiting New Orleans.
Drinking Water Assessment – On 9/19, EPA mobile labs in Louisiana began distributing 700 drinking water sample test kits to Parish Health Units for use by private well owners. In the LA affected area, there are a total of 683 drinking water facilities that served approximately 2.8 million people. As of 9/19, EPA has determined that 522 of these facilities are operational, 26 are operating on a boil water notice and 135 are either inoperable or their status is unknown. In the MS affected area, there are a total of 1,368 drinking water facilities that served approximately 3,219,690 people. EPA has determined that 1,207 of these facilities are operational, 118 are operating on a boil water notice and 43 are either inoperable or their status is unknown. In the AL affected area, there are a total of 72 drinking water facilities that served approximately 960,682 people. EPA has determined that all 72 of these facilities are operational. It should be noted that “operational” facilities may still be in need of repair or reconstruction.
Wastewater – In the LA affected area, there are a total of 122 Public Owned Treatment Works (POTW). As of 9/19, EPA has determined that 86 of these facilities are operational and 36 facilities are either not operating or their status is unknown. In the MS affected area, there are a total of 115 POTW. EPA has determined that 111 of these facilities are operational and 4 facilities are either not operating or their status is unknown. In the AL affected area, only 1 facility is not operating with 7 others having operational difficulties. It should be noted that “operational” facilities may still be in need of repair or reconstruction.
Air Monitoring – On 9/16, EPA posted results of air screening samples collected by Trace Atmospheric Gas Analyzer (TAGA) buses on 9/12-13 from multiple locations in New Orleans. The screening results indicated that chemical concentrations in most areas are below Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) health standards of concern. The low level of volatile pollutants is not surprising as contaminants may be bound to the sediment. Monitoring data directly around the Murphy Oil spill revealed some slightly elevated levels of benzene and toluene that are associated with the petroleum release. Long-term exposure (a year or longer) at the levels measured would be required for health effects to be of concern.
Gulf/Mississippi Water Sampling – EPA’s ocean vessel, the Bold, is expected to be deployed 9/26 on a mission to survey the waters of the Mississippi Sound and the Gulf of Mexico in the plume of the Mississippi River. The surveys will take about three weeks to complete.
Air Surveillance – In coordination with the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LEDQ), EPA's airplane ASPECT has conducted numerous flights to obtain environmental screening data. Results of this surveillance were posted on the EPA web site 9/14. Compounds identified were not found to be at levels exceeding OSHA standards with one exception. In this instance, the detection was reported to EPA responders on the ground. The responders located the source, a 55-gallon drum containing 4 inches of Chloro Acetic Acid. The drum was secured by EPA response personnel.
Superfund Sites - On 9/13, EPA and the LDEQ sent teams to conduct reconnaissance at the four accessible National Priority List (NPL) sites. In addition, EPA has done an overflight assessment of the 5th site, since it is currently under water. EPA is also in the process of working with the states to assess 9 NPL sites in the hurricane affected areas of MS and AL.
Please see the following message for the remaining stories.
Here's the part of FEMA's National Situation Update for Tuesday, September 20, 2005 relating to hurricane Rita:
At 5:00 am EDT Tuesday September 20, a Hurricane Warning remains in effect for all of the Florida Keys and from Golden Beach on the Florida southeast coast southward to East Cape Sable then northward to Chokoloskee on the southwest coast.
A Tropical Storm Warning and a Hurricane Watch are in effect from Deerfield Beach , Florida southward to north of Golden Beach . A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect along the Florida west coast north of Chokoloskee to Englewood .
A Tropical Storm Warning remains in effect along the Florida east coast from north of Deerfield Beach northward to Jupiter Inlet as well as for Lake Okeechobee.
At 5:00 am EDT the center of Tropical Storm Rita was located near latitude 23.7 north, longitude 79.5 west or about 160 miles east-southeast of Key West , Florida . Rita is moving toward the west-northwest near 15 mph and this general motion is expected to continue for the next 24 hours. On this track, Rita will be passing near the lower Florida Keys around midday today.
Maximum sustained winds are near 70 mph with higher gusts. Rita is getting better organized and it is expected to become a hurricane later today. Tropical Storm force winds extend outward up to 120 miles. NWS continues to indicate that Rita could possibly produce 6-8 inches of rainfall in the Florida Keys and 3-5 inches are possible across the southern Florida Peninsula . (National Hurricane Center )
Florida Governor Bush has declared a State of Emergency and ordered m andatory evacuations for all of the middle and lower Keys from the Craig Key to Key West . A mandatory evacuation for all of the upper Keys from Craig Key northward to Key Largo has also begun at 3:00 pm EDT on Monday. Residents and visitors to the Keys are required to obey these evacuation orders that are being issued by local officials. Mobile home residents in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties are also under mandatory evacuation orders at this time. Residents along the immediate coast in Broward and Miami-Dade need to finalize preparations this afternoon should local officials recommend action to protect life and property.
Local, State, and Federal officials in New Orleans have stopped any plans to bring residents back to the flooded city. Instead, they have warned residents to prepare to evacuate the city and surrounding areas if Rita brings high winds and heavy rainfall to the southern Louisiana area. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continues to warn local officials and residents that the New Orleans levees are in a fragile state and may not withstand high winds and rainfall.
State, and Regional and Federal Emergency Operations Centers are maintaining 24/7 operations to prepare for Rita's landfall. Emergency Response teams and supplies and equipment are being deployed to areas near the Gulf Coast areas.
Texas officials are establishing a joint federal/state/local operations center in Austin , Texas to closely coordinate preparedness and response measures for Rita. Texas indicates one of their priority operations is to evacuate Louisiana evacuees from shelters on the Gulf Coast to inland areas. Another critical priority for Texas officials is the safe evacuation of Texas coastal residents at risk from Rita. (National Hurricane Center , DHS, FEMA Region IV and Region VI, media sources)
Midwest . Following Monday's severe weather in Ohio , Michigan , Indiana , Illinois , and Missouri , the Midwest will experience sunny and dry weather on Tuesday. Highs will range from the 70s in the Great Lakes area to the 90s in the Great Plains .
Northeast. A fast-moving cold front will bring showers and thunderstorms to large sections of the Northeast. Highs will range from the 60s in Maine to the low 90s in the Mid-Atlantic area.
South. On Tuesday, Hurricane Rita will hit southern Florida with high winds, heavy rainfall, and storm surges. A cold front is moving into the South that will bring showers to parts of Tennessee , Mississippi , Alabama , Georgia , and the Carolinas . Elsewhere in the South, the weather will be hot and dry with highs in the 90s. Other parts of the Gulf Coast are warned to keep a close watch on Rita's path.
West. Most of the region will be sunny and warm on Monday. Scattered rainfall could occur in selected areas, including: northwest Washington , southern California , Nevada , and Arizona . High temperatures will range from the 60s in the northern tier to 100 in the southwest desert area. (National Weather Service, Media Sources)
Katrina stories
Major Developments in Katrina's Aftermath
Bush Pledges to Clean Up the Gulf Coast
President Bush has pledged to will help clean up the Gulf Coast, having seen the huge piles of debris beside the roads. He visited the first meeting of Gov. Haley Barbour's Commission on Recovery, Rebuilding and Renewal in Mississippi. He also visited New Orleans.
Mrs. Bush Urges Patience With Gulf Cleanup
Laura Bush said, "That's going to be the hard part for everyone, and that is to sustain the amount of help that evacuees are getting to do the long, long hard work that's going to be required. It's particularly hard for Americans, because we're so impatient and we think that everything ought to be fixed yesterday." She went on, "A large percentage of our population probably doesn't realize what inner cities are really like and has looked away from that. If a large number of people can come out with skills that they didn't have before, that will be one silver lining."
Bush: Townsend to lead Katrina inquiry, Kerry, Edwards Blast Bush Over Katrina, Katrina may impact economic goals: Snow
U.S. President George W. Bush has put his homeland security adviser, Fran Townsend, in charge of the internal inquiry into the federal response to Hurricane Katrina.
Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts and former Sen. John Edwards criticised the administration's response to Hurricane Katrina and the suspension of wage laws.
Much of U.S. President George W. Bush's domestic agenda has been delayed by Hurricane Katrina according to U.S. Treasury Secretary John Snow.
Louisiana has launched a $62 million program to give evacuees $9 an hour emergency work working with nonprofits, relief organizations and churches to distribute food and clothing and to provide transportation and childcare to others made homeless and jobless by the storm. Other states have similar programs. In Louisiana, however, the difficult and messy jobs will be reserved for the private companies who won lucrative federal contracts.
Hurricane Katrina Victims in Shelters
There are roughly 88,500 Hurricane Katrina refugees are in shelters in 25 states and Washington, D.C.
Group: Protect Katrina Victim Immigrants
Representatives of Latin American and Caribbean communities say that illegal immigrants who suffered as a result of Hurricane Katrina should have "protected humanitarian status". Many are afraid to seek help for fear of being deported.
Workers Can Turn Vacation Into Donations
The Internal Revenue Service is allowing workers to turn their spare vacation time into charitable donations.
Mobile Home Industry Waiting on FEMA
Mobile home manufacturers put in bids to FEMA to produce cities of mobile homes for Hurricane Katrina victims by September 9. They are still awaiting a response with details, which according to FEMA has been delayed because the Department of Homeland Security has yet to approve a housing plan. Many already-built homes and travel trailers have been moved from stock in factories and from retail lots around the country to staging areas.
New Mothers Finding Hope in Baton Rouge
Pregnant women needed extra and often urgent care during the evacuation of New Orleans and people have rallied around to help them and their new born babies with all the new stresses of motherhood as well as the stresses of having lost or lost touch with family members and having lost all that they possessed.
Experts: New Orleans Safe to Resettle Soon
Tests for pollution have so far not turned up anything that would make New Orleans uninhabitable in the long term, though some areas may have become unsuitable for homes and schools, where spills have occurred. There is still a great deal of testing to do, particularly in the areas still underwater.
Rita Prompts New Orleans to Close Again, New Orleans jittery as new storm threatens Gulf, Rita Strengthens Into Category 2 Hurricane, Hurricane Rita strengthens, New Orleans mayor orders evacuation
Mayor Ray Nagin suspended the re-opening of New Orleans and told almost everybody to leave as Hurricane Rita headed toward the Gulf of Mexico. The storm was predicted to make landfall in Texas, but New Orleans is much more vulnerable than it was. Not everybody wants to leave.
St. Bernard Parish is covered with oil from a refinery spill and most of its homes will need to be razed.
The Louisiana death toll was 736, making the overall total 973.
President Bush was to visit Gulfport, Mississippi, and New Orleans on Tuesday.
Galveston Calls for Voluntary Evacuations
Galveston, which was wiped out by a hurricane 10 years ago, is preparing for Hurricane Rita by boarding up windows, getting in generators and supplies, or preparing to leave. Thousands of Hurricane Katrina refugees will be flown to Arkansas, which is already home to about 50,000 Katrina evacuees. The Texas National Guard has been readied. People have been warned to avoid Houston, which floods easily. The now vacant Houston Astrodome could not be used for shelter because it has a glass roof. Learning from New Orleans' experience, buses have been laid on for those who need transport and they may take their pets with them in cages.
Other stories
Hurricane Rita threatens Florida Keys, Hurricanes in Florida Since August 2004
Hurricane Rita, the 17th tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, brought gusty squalls and heavy rain to the low-lying islands of the Florida Keys. Not everyone evacuated. Gulf oil rigs were evacuated.
In the past year Florida has been hit by Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan, Jeanne, Dennis, Katrina, and now Rita with 145 deaths prior to Rita.
Blown Fuse Cuts Power at U.N. Headquarters
The top 23 floors of the U.N. headquarters were without power Monday when a major fuse blew.
Lab Accidents May Lead to SARS Outbreaks
The most likely source of future outbreaks of SARS would be laboratory accidents, according to a World Health Organization expert.
Indonesia Moves to Contain Bird Flu
The Indonesian government has imposed "extraordinary" measures such as the forced hospitalization of people with symptoms in order to tackle bird flu, of which 4 people have died. Seven patients, including 2 employees of the zoo where birds were found to have the disease, are suspected of having the disease.
World has slim chance to stop flu pandemic
Dr Hitoshi Oshitani, an expert in the fight against the SARS virus, says that the world will only have a short time to nip a bird flu pandemic in the bud, and the chances of doing so are slim. It could happen in weeks or in years.
WHO Won't Push for Generic Bird Flu Drug
The World Health Organization does not plan to push for a lower-cost, generic version of Tamiflu, the best hope of saving people from dying of bird flu until a specific vaccine is developed.
AP Reporter Included in Dengue Fever Cases
A reporter in Singapore caught the mosquito-borne dengue fever virus.
Indian Hospital Struggles With Outbreak, Japanese Encephalitis Death Toll Rises
More than 1,000 people, mostly children, have died of Japanese encephalitis in India and Nepal. Many more are sick and hospitals are struggling to cope with the worst outbreak so far. India will not vaccinate 7 million children. Illiteracy means that awareness is hard to raise. Conditions are perfect for the mosquitoes that spread the disease. One solution would be to eliminate all pigs.
The death toll in Uttar Pradesh state, India is now 767, and in Nepal, 271.
Pollution turns China village into cancer cluster
There are an unusually large number of cancer cases in Huangmenying village, which the locals believe is due to the water, most of which comes from a heavily polluted stretch of the Huai River, which supplies water to one sixth of China's 1.3 billion people. The people are poor and can ill afford bottled water or treatment. Some have moved elsewhere. The likely polluters - tanneries, paper mills and an MSG factory - are all protected. The government has done little, though it did launch a "clear water for the people" campaign
New York skyscrapers dim lights to save birds
New York skyscrapers are to darken their lights after midnight during migration periods to prevent them from attracting migrating birds, which often collide with them and die. The move would also save energy.
EU farm ministers deadlocked over GMO maize approval
EU agriculture ministers have not achieved the majority required to imports of a genetically modified (GMO) maize.
Company Scraps Voting Rights Landfill Plan
A waste management company has dropped plans to develop a landfill along the National Voting Rights Trail between Selma and Montgomery where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. marched on March 21, 1965 with thousands of others, and near where civil rights worker Viola Liuzzo was killed.
Ky. Coal Sludge Case Settled Out of Court
5 years ago Inez, Kentucky was swamped with more than 300 million gallons of black coal sludge. The community and the company responsible settled out of court Monday. Other cases are pending or have been settled, and others may be filed before the 5 year statute of limitations runs out next month. Some blame the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration for not preventing the accident.
White House Proposes New Overfishing Rules
The Bush administration proposed new guidelines for preventing over-fishing Monday; basically reauthorizing the 1976 Magnuson-Stevens Act. It does not take into account. Critics say that this ignores the findings of the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy and doesn't go far enough.
Peacekeeper Nuclear Missile Deactivated
The Peacekeeper nuclear missile has been officially deactivated.
Index of topics in this series.
[Views expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of CompuServe, Netscape, any government, agency, or news organization. External Websites are "At Your Own Risk," and no endorsement is expressed or implied.]
