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Hurricane Katrina: EPA Response

Release Date: 9/6/2005
Contact Information: For more information contact the Office of External Affairs at (214) 665-2200.

     Search and rescue remains a high priority.  Yesterday, our search and rescue missions resulted in about 35 citizens assisted.

     EPA and the State of Louisiana Joint Incident Management Team is operating 24 hours a day at the emergency center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  The ASPECT aircraft continues to conduct over-flights of several large industrial facilities in the area and inspect for oil and chemical spills.  No new major spills were observed.   Our joint field operations with state officials are ongoing.  Teams are using helicopters and the state's seaplane to inspect several industrial plants and search for spills up and down the Mississippi River.

     EPA and Louisiana Department of Health and Human Services completed inspections of 18 drinking waters systems.  Nine systems in St. Tammany Parish were cleared to resume operations. The EPA mobile laboratory is set up to test about 50 drinking water samples a day to help bring more systems back online.  EPA continues to collect flood water samples for biological and chemical testing.