Seat Belt & DWI Checkpoints Planned for July 29, 2024
July 28, 2024
Lafourche Parish Water District remains under a Water Conservation Notice
July 28, 2024
STATEMENT FROM UNIFIED COMMAND GROUP
Updated 3:00 PM CDT; July 28, 2024
The Unified Command continues to respond to a release of crude oil in Bayou Lafourche near Raceland, Louisiana. The following updates were provided during the Unified Command’s incident briefing this afternoon:
1. No injuries have been reported.
2. The following assets have been deployed as of 10AM this morning in and near Bayou Lafourche near Raceland, Louisiana:
1. 92 workers on location
2. 18 total vessels including 4 Marco skimmers, 1 barge boat, 5 response vessels, 4 express vessels and 4 jon boats
3. 6 vacuum trucks
4. 4,300 feet of boom deployed
5. Additional equipment is planned to be deployed during the course of the day
3. The public is urged to report any oiled wildlife observed in the area to (832) 514-9663. Residents are advised to avoid trying to capture any oiled wildlife. Report the location and description of the impacted wildlife to the published number and trained wildlife personnel will be deployed to investigate and capture any wildlife that may be necessary.
4. The estimated volume of the spill is undetermined at this time.
5. Air monitoring has been continuously conducted since yesterday on both sides of the bayou in the affected area. Results have been well below actionable levels. Air monitoring will continue out of an abundance of caution.
6. Public water continues to be safe to drink. An advisory to conserve water has been issued by Lafourche Parish Water District No. 1 out of an abundance of caution while the parish awaits any specific requirements from the Louisiana Department of Health. This advisory covers customers south of the La. Hwy. 182 bridge in Lafourche Parish.
7. Parish President Archie Chaisson issued an Emergency Declaration Order yesterday afternoon, which allows more resources to be deployed in support of the incident.
8. Clean-up operations were paused overnight due to safety concerns for workers. However, operations were begun again shortly after daybreak this morning. Workers and their equipment are being staged at the Lafourche Parish Visitor’s Center under the Highway 90 overpass in Raceland.
9. At this time, the right north bound lane of LA Hwy 1 will be closed as you approach Hwy 90 due to equipment being staged to aid in the clean-up. Motorists are advised to use caution in this area.
10. The Federal Aviation Administration has implemented a No-Fly Zone from LA Hwy 182 to LA Hwy 654, one mile in either direction of Bayou Lafourche due to the ongoing oil spill incident. This restriction is mainly to control UAS flights during clean-up operations.
11. Effected residents wanting to report personal or property damages because of this incident can call 833-812-0877.
12. We thank the community for its offers of volunteer support. At this time, volunteers are not needed.
The United States Coast Guard has closed the bayou to mariners from the Hwy. 182 bridge in Raceland to the Saltwater Control Structure in Lockport. This closure is being enforced by the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Department and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Enforcement Division.
The Unified Command, consisting of federal, state, local, and company officials, will issue additional information as warranted. The Lafourche Parish Government Facebook page remains the official source for information about this incident.
