Lessons from Hurricane Isaac: Gulf Coast Coal and Petrochemical Facilities Still Not Storm Ready
Introduction: On August 28, 2012, Hurricane Isaac made landfall in the United States as a Category 1 hurricane at the mouth of the Mississippi River. In the wake of the storm, oil, coal, gas, and petrochemical facilities/infrastructure released at least the following pollution into the surrounding land, waters, and air of the gulf region:
- 341, 044 gallons of oil, chemicals, and untreated waste-water
- 192.3 tons of gases and other materials (354, 819 pounds)
- 12.6 million gallons of untreated “process area water” from one overwhelmed facility