HURRICANE UNIFIED COMMAND Vermilion Parish PRO"** 111.. DEQ LOUISIANA^ Acadia Lafayette Iberia Vermilion Parish Assumption Iberia ACCOMPLISHMENTS AT A GLANCE 316 Wastewater Facility Assessments* 14 Industry Damage Assessments 62,622 Hazardous Waste Containers Collected 1,180 Electronic Items Collected 2,897 White Goods Collected 2,897 # of Appliances from which Freon was Extracted 13,488 Pounds of Ammunition/Explosives Collected 376,728 Pounds of Cumulative Waste Disposed 12 School Lab Assessments Progress Report Above: EPA emptying a refrigerator at a collection site. Since September 2005, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Louisiana Depart- ment of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) have worked together to address environmental hazards from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita to help Vermilion Parish recover. One of EPA and LDEQ's first prior- ties was to ensure residents returning to all the cities affected by the hurricanes had safe drinking water. Throughout Louisiana, 190 assessments were conducted at drinking water facilities. Similarly, 316 wastewa- ter treatment plants were assessed for damage. Next, EPA and LDEQ turned to federally-permitted facilities. The agencies conducted interviews and site visits at hazardous waste storage, transfer or disposal facili- ties from February 20th to March 6th. Duringthis time, 562 facil- ities in southern Louisiana were addressed, including 14 facilities in Vermilion Parish. The site visits and interviews established that employees could return to work at facilities operating in accordance with federal and state regulations. Because of concerns that damaged chemicals in school biology and chemistry laboratories could cause a health hazard, EPA and LDEQ conducted assessments at 362 schools in southern Louisiana. Some chemical containers were found to be damaged by the hurricanes, by flood waters and/or from heat exposure. EPA and LDEQ, in coordina- tion with the Louisiana State Police and local fire departments, re- moved dangerous chemicals from 116 schools in southern Louisiana. Twelve schools in Vermilion Parish were assessed; chemicals were removed from two of them. Paint, computers, washing machines, and refrigerators in homes under normal circumstances are not usually considered hazardous. However, when hundreds of thousands of these items become waste products at the same time, the hazardous components in them could create problems. To help remove these materials from the waste goingto Louisiana's municipal landfills, EPA and LDEQ collected 66,699 units consisting of appliances, hazardous waste containers, and home electronics. The hazardous materials were recycled or dis- posed in landfills designed to handle them safely. In Vermilion Parish, EPA and LDEQ have disposed of 376,728 pounds of waste since August 31, 2006. in response to community concerns about potential harm from fire- arms, ammunition and explosives, EPA began collecting these mate- rials for appropriate disposal in January 2006. As of August 31, 2006, in southwestern and south-central Louisiana Parishes, 13,488 pieces of ammunition, explosives, and other similar items have been collected, as well as 224 firearms. ^Reflects more than Vermilion Parish activities ------- |