Ian Patrick, FISM News
Following the destruction of Hurricane Ida there are reports nearly 350 oil spills in the Gulf of Mexico. The US Coast Guard set up a pollution response team in Baton Rouge as a hub to deal with the reports and help search for the source of the leaks.
Talos Energy announced that they located the source of one of the more significant spills, and has contracted a cleanup crew even though they no longer own the pipeline. The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality said it is working with the Coast Guard and the EPA to require companies responsible for any spills to halt and clean up the discharges.
About 79% of the offshore oil production in the U.S. was still offline by Tuesday afternoon, and 78% of the oil and natural gas production in the Gulf of Mexico remained offline at the same time. Energy analysts say that Ida’s destruction “could reduce total U.S. production by as much as 30 million barrels this year,” according to Reuters. It is also the most costly storm for oil production since two storms cut production back in 2005.
In addition to halting production, the death count from Ida continues to climb and has now reached at least 70 people as Louisiana and the northeast continue to rebuild from the devastating storm.
#Ida claimed the lives of at least 70 people.
Our hearts are with grieving loved ones and all those struggling to rebuild after this devastating storm. pic.twitter.com/zm2OjRkkjt
— The Weather Channel (@weatherchannel) September 7, 2021
In Lousiana over 400,000 customers remain without power, and it believed that some areas may not see the lights come back on for several weeks. Accoring to Entergy the storm damaged or destroyed over 30,000 poles, over 36,000 spans of wires, and close to 6,000 transformers in the state.
We have published a restoration map for Tangipahoa and Washington Parishes with estimated restoration times as of 10 a.m. today, Tuesday, September 7. Download the map here ➡️ https://t.co/GN7sR1oZcD pic.twitter.com/DlRp7kYvKf
— Entergy Louisiana (@EntergyLA) September 7, 2021