Hurricane Damage: 1,400 Toxic Barrels in Sabine Wildlife Refuge

[donsu]

one thousand four hundred toxic barrels (not counting barrels that are buried in mud)

http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/feb2006/2006-02-23-01.asp

Government consultants report that more than 1,400 barrels of toxic liquids and gases are sinking into the coastal wetlands of the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge as a result of Hurricane Rita, which smashed southwestern Louisiana last September.

A report prepared for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and just released to the Cooperative Alliance for Refuge Enhancement (CARE) finds that 115,000 to 350,000 gallons of everything from oil and bleach to propane are contained within those barrels.

Four containers of chlorine gas, which kills immediately upon exposure, were found, and two entire 18 wheelers were identified during the debris survey of the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge on which the report is based. Their contents is unknown.

"An additional unknown number are undetected or not visible," the report says. "It is likely that, without the address of these issues, Sabine National Wildlife Refuge will be at significant risk of chemical and physical damages for decades."

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In addition to the hazardous debris, the researchers identified thousands of non-toxic debris items such as pieces of vinyl or aluminum siding, insulation, plywood, corrugated metal, lumber and white goods such as refrigerators and water heaters that may contain small amounts of toxics.

Nixon and Michel estimate that there are 2,900 separate debris piles within the boundaries of the refuge, covering more than 1,730 acres or about 1.5 percent of its total area.

There are more than seven million cubic meters of debris in the refuge, and "the piles themselves represent a significant physical and ecological modification to the landscape" of the refuge, they report.
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it's plain to see this isn't a wildlife refuge anymore, it's a killing field

do you think all that money the UAE sent will be seen at Sabine?

wonder what states will be taken out this hurricane season. we could work up a betting system.