The fuel spill in the Mississippi River now stretches 100 miles, almost to the Gulf of Mexico, and a sickly oil smell hangs over the city. According to a WWL TV news report, an SPCA group from Houston has set up a wildlife recovery effort. I don't want to pass judgement yet, but it is somewhat shocking to me, given the size of the spill and its potential impact on fragile wetlands, that there isn't more help coming to help wildlife, and to help with cleanup.
Again, according to news reports, 500 people are working on clean-up efforts, but this is a slick over 100 miles long.
The tugboat towing the barge before Wednesday morning's crash did not have a properly licensed pilot, the Coast Guard said.
The person operating the boat had an apprentice mate's license and there was no one else on the vessel properly documented to guide it, said Lt. Cmdr. Cheri Ben-Iesau from the Coast Guard in New Orleans. The operator's name was not released and the Coast Guard and National Transportation Safety Board were investigating.
The barge held more than 419,000 gallons of heavy fuel oil in three tanks. Investigators don't know whether all three tanks broke but "are assuming the worst-case discharge of all 9,980 barrels," said Capt. Lincoln Stroh, Coast Guard captain of the port of New Orleans.
Communities along the river get their drinking water from the river. Mayor Nagin says the water is safe to drink, but many communities along the river turned off their intake valves, including New Orleans, and had been relying on reserves. The city of Plaquemines, to my knowledge, is the only community with its intake valve still turned off, according to WWL TV tonight.
Local businesses that rely on the river for tourism are feeling the impact. It is a slow time of year, and shutting the river down is adding to the pain small businesses are feeling, particularly those that rely on tours on the river for their business.
The impact on the fragile wetlands is frightening. It was heartbreaking to watch egrets on the evening news wading through the slick, hunting for fish. We need help here, once again. Please help get the word out.