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Caskets are still scattered around a Louisiana community as residents struggle to recover from Hurricane Ida
After Hurricane Ida, Oil Infrastructure Springs Dozens of Leaks
The spills caused by Hurricane Ida have brought more damage to a shoreline made fragile from decades of oil and gas drilling. One of the slicks was very near the East Timbalier Island National Wildlife Refuge, an ecologically-rich part of a barrier island chain that forms the first line of defense against vulnerable inner bays, as well as the hub of Port Fourchon.
“We won’t know the true ecological impact for a while,” said Scott Eustis, community science director at the New Orleans-based nonprofit, Healthy Gulf, who has long studied the effect of oil and gas drilling on Louisiana’s wetlands. “These islands were here to protect Louisiana. But instead, we’ve drilled wells and we’ve abandoned pipelines,” he said. “And they’re leaking.”
Louisiana has spent millions of dollars trying to restore the island, which is riddled with oil wells. Some scientists have said the island is too far gone to save.