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Hurricane Ida Oil Spills

As Hurricane Ida tore through the eastern United States in late August and early September, it left destruction in its wake. The hurricane killed people, destroyed businesses, and demolished buildings. Since Hurricane Ida traveled through a large oil industry hub, it also resulted in many chemical or oil spills, a detail often overlooked in the aftermath of a natural disaster. The U.S. has investigated at least 350 reports of oil spills since Hurricane Ida hit the east coast. Recently, oil spills in the Gulf of Mexico and the Phillips 66 refinery were caught on camera, leading to questions of cause, response methods, and lasting effect.

In the wake of Hurricane Ida, Louisiana officials began to investigate reports of oil spills in various areas around and near the state. They looked into a sunken boat leaking fuel as well as an overturned fuel tank. Some people also reported flooded oil pipelines and toxic chemicals. On September 1, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) found what appeared to be an oil spill at the Phillips 66 refinery. The refinery seemed to be flooded, and some parts of the water had a rainbow sheen or black marks over them, which appeared to be petroleum. A spokesman for Phillips 66 stated that the sheen was contained and cleanup crews were working to address the spill. After some investigation, the company discovered that a levee was breached, allowing water to flow into the refinery. There is currently no estimation for how much oil had leaked from the building.

Also on September 1, the NOAA discovered a large oil spill near Port Fourchon, Louisiana, where Hurricane Ida first made landfall. The spill was reportedly miles long and was floating next to a rig with the words Enterprise Offshore Drilling painted on it. However, when asked, the company said that their rig was secured and their systems weren’t damaged. A separate company called Talos Energy, while not being responsible for the spill, volunteered to clean up the oil. As of now, the source of this oil spill is still unknown, although divers recently discovered a 12-inch pipeline on the ocean floor. The pipeline appeared to be displaced and bent, and officials suspect that it was the source of the spill. The divers also found two four-inch pipelines that were open-ended and seemed to be abandoned.

Oil spills have significant environmental consequences and can cause harm to people in surrounding areas. Spills and leaks in bodies of water are particularly harmful, negatively affecting sea creatures and marine ecosystems. Additionally, oil spills shut down refineries, decreasing the amount of oil available. Port Fourchon, one of the areas affected by oil spills, contains oil terminals that comprise around 90% of oil production from the Gulf of Mexico. After Hurricane Ida hit, seven oil refineries were shut down. In total, they accounted for around 9% of all U.S. refining capacity, which may prove to be detrimental to the oil supply. While there are no specific charities for oil spills as of this moment, you can aid the Hurricane Ida relief effort by donating to the charities linked below.


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