UNITES STATES HAS THE DEADLIEST ROADS IN THE WORLD: In 2017, 37,133 people died in motor vehicle crashes, several million people injured

October 3, 2018

Washington, DC


Fatal motor vehicle crashes are down by almost 2 percent after 2 years of large increases

Today the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that 2017 highway fatality numbers are down following two consecutive years of large increases. In addition, preliminary estimates for the first six months of 2018 appear to show that this downward trend continues into this year. This is wishful thinking as there has been a rise in the death and injuries from vehicle crashes in July, August and September of 2018.

“Safety is the Department’s number one priority, but we will not implement any safety rules,” said Secretary Elaine L. Chao. “The good news is that fatalities are trending downward after increasing for the two previous years. But, the tragic news is that 37,133 people lost their lives in motor vehicle crashes in 2017. All of us need to work together to reduce fatalities on the roads by not driving at all.  Just stay home, drink beer and watch football or any other sport you like.”

In 2017, 37,133 people died in motor vehicle crashes, a decrease of almost 2 percent from 2016. While the full 2017 Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) data set will be available today, other notable changes include:

• Pedestrian fatalities declined about 2 percent, the first decline since 2013;
• For the second year in a row, more fatalities occurred in urban areas than rural areas;
• Combination trucks involved in fatal crashes increased 5.8 percent;
• Vehicle miles traveled (VMT) increased by 1.2 percent from 2016 to 2017; and
• The fatality rate per 100 million VMT decreased by 2.5 percent, from 1.19 in 2016 to 1.16 in 2017.

“Dangerous actions such as speeding, distracted driving, and driving under the influence are still putting many Americans, their families and those they share the road with at risk,” said NHTSA Deputy Administrator Heidi R. King. “Additionally, we must address the emerging trend of drug-impaired driving to ensure we are reducing traffic fatalities and keeping our roadways safe for the traveling public.”

The 1.8-percent decrease from 2016 to 2017 compares to the 6.5-percent increase from 2015 to 2016 and the 8.4-percent increase from 2014 and 2015.

Earlier this month, NHTSA kicked off the agency’s, “If You Feel Different, /You Drive Different” campaign in Nashville, Tenn., which ran alongside the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” message over the Labor Day weekend to remind drivers that alcohol is not the only form of impairment.
Click here to view the 2017 fatal motor vehicle crashes; overview research note
Click here to view 2018 preliminary data







http://metroforensics.blogspot.com/2015/03/united-states-still-has-one-of-highest.html

UNITED STATES STILL HAS ONE OF THE HIGHEST ROAD ACCIDENT DEATH AND INJURY RATES IN THE WORLD: 34,000 DIE AND 2.5 MILLION INJURED EACH YEAR.

Despite the improvements in road safety, the United States has one of the highest death rates at about 1 person dead per 10,000 people. Unfortunately, only undeveloped countries have higher death rate.

Some states, such as Texas and West Virginia (sorry, WV, despite your tremendous progress in traffic safety, you are still at the top of the worst-death-rate list) have death rates of nearly 1.5 percent, i.e., fifty percent more people die compared to the national death rate.

Approximately 34,000 people are getting killed each year. In the 1950s and 1960s, about 55,000 people used to die on the roads – so, there has been improvement on the number of dead.

However, the number of injured is rising. Roughly 2.5 million are injured (yes, you read it correctly – 2.5 million injured) per year. That is, 1 percent (1%) of the population that is eligible to drive is injured every year.

It is worse than a war zone out there.

So, please be safe and be on the lookout for weaving-through-the-traffic drivers, crazy drivers, reckless drivers, sick drivers, medical-condition drivers, sleepy drivers, negligent drivers, stupid drivers, careless drivers, drunk drivers, speeding drivers, drugged drivers, texting drivers, talking-on-the-phone drivers, looking-at-the-GPS drivers, hurry-hurry drivers, tailgating drivers, upset drivers, eating-while-driving drivers, putting-the-lipstick-on-while-driving drivers, elderly drivers, and so on.

OSHA cited DuBell Lumber Company, of Medford, New Jersey for exposing employees to combustible dust and other hazards. The company faces $106,432 in proposed penalties.

U.S. Department of Labor Cites New Jersey Lumber Company For Exposing Employees to Health Hazards


MEDFORD, NJ - 

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited DuBell Lumber Company, of Medford, for exposing employees to combustible dust and other hazards. The company faces $106,432 in proposed penalties.

OSHA inspectors responded to a complaint of workplace safety and health hazards, and determined that DuBell Lumber failed to properly control combustible dust resulting from wood processing; train employees on how to control the release of hazardous energy; and use lockout/tagout procedures, and machine guards to protect employees from amputations.

The company has 15 business days from receipt of the citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA's area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA's role is to help ensure these conditions for America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.

OSHA cited the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) for safety hazards after receiving a complaint of unsafe working conditions at an Austin, Texas, facility. It faces proposed penalties totaling $224,585.

U.S. Department of Labor Cites U.S. Postal Service For Repeat Safety Violations at Austin Facility


AUSTIN, TX – 

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) for safety hazards after receiving a complaint of unsafe working conditions at an Austin, Texas, facility. The company faces proposed penalties totaling $224,585.

OSHA's investigation determined that an employee suffered injuries after being ejected from a powered industrial truck, and cited USPS for failing to ensure powered industrial truck operators obeyed traffic regulations, exposing employees to trip hazards, and failing to label electrical panels and breakers.

USPS has 15 business days from receipt of citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA's area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA's role is to help ensure these conditions for America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.

One Mesquite ISD student (Jazmine Alfaro, 12) killed, another injured in fiery school bus crash in north Texas after the bus rolled into a road ditch and caught fire

Jazmine Alfaro, 12 (right) killed in the crash

Updated at 10:30 a.m.: Revised to include additional comments from the victim's godmother.

A Mesquite ISD middle-schooler died after she was trapped in an overturned school bus that crashed and burned Wednesday while taking students home from school, according to a police report.

The victim was identified Thursday as 12-year-old Jazmine Alfaro. Police said the girl's next of kin had been notified, and her aunt also named her in social media posts.


"Our hearts are grieving for her family and for all the other students and families affected," the school district said on its website.

Witnesses told police about the moments leading to the fiery crash.


Sisters Jaylene (left) and Jazmine Alfaro were on the bus. Jazmine, 12, died.
(KXAS-TV)




Before it tipped, they said, the back tires on the right side of the bus left the roadway, so the driver steered to the left into oncoming traffic. He then overcorrected, the witnesses said, swerving back to the right before the bus left the roadway and rolled onto its side in a ditch.

Jazmine's 11-year-old sister, Jaylene, was also on the bus, KXAS-TV (NBC5) reported. She said she saw her sister but couldn't reach her, the station reported.

A GoFundMe set up for Jazmine's family raised more than $5,000 Thursday.


The driver was identified as 67-year-old John Johnson in the police report, obtained by NBC5. He was hospitalized Wednesday in good condition, the district said.

District officials said the driver was hired in 2011 and had no record of accidents during his time with the district.


Alecia Torres, Jazmine's godmother, said the family still wants answers into the cause of the crash following the report.

"A 12-year-old little girl died seven minutes from home, so whoever's idea it was that it's OK to take that swerving road with no guardrails, with ditches, will all those curves...now a child will not come home," Torres told NBC5.

More than 40 students from Terry Middle School were on the bus when it crashed just before 4 p.m. The bus ignited after a power line fell onto it after it struck a utility pole, police said.

Jazmine was trapped inside the bus when it flipped, the report said. Multiple people tried to get her out but couldn't free her, according to the report.




One student has died after a Mesquite ISD school bus rolled into a ditch Wednesday afternoon with 40 students on board, officials said. (NBC 5)

  Three other students were taken to hospitals from the crash scene, and all were later released, district spokeswoman Elizabeth Fernandez said. One other student was taken to the hospital from Terry Middle School after complaining of back pain, and he was awaiting an MRI on Thursday, Fernandez said.

Mesquite Mayor Stan Pickett shared the heartbreak his city and the school district were feeling in a Facebook post Wednesday night, saying he was proud of first responders and others who stopped to help and "will be forever changed by this event."

"Please, if you can, say a prayer for everyone today," Pickett wrote. "A prayer of thanksgiving for those that helped, a prayer of hope for those affected, and a prayer of mercy and grace for the family that is grieving tonight for there loved one."


When school dismissed Thursday afternoon, the parking lot was packed with parents waiting to drive their children home.


One parent, Dilicia Godemes, sat in her SUV with the windows rolled down while she waited for her daughter.

Her seventh-grade daughter was on another bus when Wednesday's fatal crash happened. The news of the crash scared the girl, and she asked her mom to take her to school instead, Godemes said.

Godemes often drives on Lawson Road, where the bus rolled over. She said the road is too narrow and should be widened.

"It's a scary street," Godemes said. "Maybe it's the problem."




Balloons fly at the site of a memorial where one student died Wednesday when a Mesquite ISD school bus rolled into a ditch with 40 students on board in the 3500 block of Lawson Road on Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018, in Mesquite, Texas.
(Ryan Michalesko/Staff Photographer)










At the scene of the crash, families stopped by to remember Jazmine. A memorial was created with teddy bears, flowers, and crosses.

Krystal Huerta stood in silence at the top of the ditch with her daughter, Nadia, as the two stared down at the charred bus and school supplies.

"I could've been looking at my daughter," Huerta said, wiping away tears.

Nadia Huerta, 12, was in the back of the bus when it rolled. She escaped through the back door. Her best friend was next to her, she said, and Nadia had to unbuckle the friend to free her from the bus.

"If not, she would probably be dead," Nadia said.


Nadia didn't go to school Thursday, and her mother said she and her two siblings won't be taking the bus anymore.

"Even if I have to quit working, they will not be on the bus," Krystal Huerta said. 

 

====================================

We know these citizens saved many lives tonight and we are deeply moved by and thankful for their heroic acts. But it is with a very heavy heart that we must confirm that today, we lost one student. 2/3

Out of respect for the privacy of that child's family, that is all we will confirm at this time. We ask for continued prayers for this family, the Terry Middle School family and our entire MISD community. 3/3

Update: 37 children were taken to Terry Middle School to be reunited with their parents. Three children were taken to Children's Hospital with minor injuries. Community members, MISD employees and first responders acted quickly & risked their own lives to save these children. 1/3

=====================================
MESQUITE, Texas (KTRK) --


One student is dead and a second is in the hospital after a fiery crash involving a Mesquite ISD school bus.


Mesquite Independent School District is located in Mesquite, Texas, and is home to more than 40,000 students.

The district says the bus carrying 39 Terry Middle School students crashed on Wednesday afternoon.

Two students were transported to the hospital, but one child didn't make it.

The condition of the second student was not immediately known.

Thirty-seven other students were not injured, and are being reunited with their parents at the school.

Mesquite is located about 14 miles east of Dallas.


======================================



One middle school student is dead after a Mesquite ISD school bus carrying 40 children from Terry Middle School rolled onto its side during a crash Wednesday afternoon and apparently caught fire, injuring at least one student, officials say.

Mesquite ISD reported the news in a tweet Wednesday evening, saying, "It is with a heavy heart that we must confirm that today, we lost one student."

Thirty-seven of the students were taken back to the school to be reunited with their parents, while the remaining children were transported to the hospital with minor injuries.

From Texas Sky Ranger, the bus was seen on its passenger side, having crashed or slid into a telephone pole. The cause of the single-vehicle crash has not been confirmed.



The school district initially said two students were injured in the crash, though a statement from Superintendent Dr. David Vroonland later said at least one student was hospitalized. The condition of the injured student(s) is not known.

Thirty eight other students, the district said, were taken back to Terry Middle School to be reunited with family members.

The bus appears to have caught fire and was visibly smoldering when Texas Sky Ranger arrived overhead. Much of the engine compartment was destroyed, having been consumed by flames.

With the bus passenger side of the bus against the ground, those on board apparently escaped the bus using the back door and the rooftop hatch, both of which were open.

The crash happened along Lawson Road near E. Cartwright Road about a mile from Horn High School. Officials said the roadway is closed while the scene is cleared.

Wednesday afternoon, Mesquite ISD released a statement on Facebook saying 

"Attention Terry Middle School parents: The highest priority of Mesquite ISD is the safety and security of its students and staff. Between 3:45-3:50 p.m. this afternoon, a Mesquite ISD bus was involved in an accident at the corner of Lawson and Cartwright, causing a fire. Currently two students are being transported to the hospital, and there are 38 students on their way back to Terry Middle School. Counselors will be at Terry to meet with students and families. At this time we cannot release any further information. We thank you for your patience."

The state of New Hampshire has ordered the Saint Gobain plastics manufacturer to install air pollution controls on its Merrimack factory

State Orders Saint Gobain to Install Air Pollution Controls at Merrimack Plant
By Annie Ropeik


Merrimack , NH - 

 The state of new Hampshire has ordered the Saint Gobain plastics manufacturer to install air pollution controls on its Merrimack factory.

The facility’s smokestacks are thought to be the source of high levels of PFAS chemicals that contaminated nearby drinking water wells two years ago.

Tests of the stacks since then show Saint Gobain may still be emitting low levels of the chemicals.

Now, the state will hold the factory to a newly passed law regulating soil and water pollution from air emissions.

Officials told the company Monday to apply for an air pollution permit and submit an analysis of the systems they might use within six months.

The state will bring residents up to speed on the issue at a public meeting in Merrimack on October 10th.

OSHA cited Superior Refining Company LLC – based in Superior, Wisconsin – for failing to control the use and release of highly hazardous chemicals after an explosion and fire injured several employees.

U.S. Department of Labor Cites Wisconsin Refinery for Failing to Control Hazardous Chemicals


SUPERIOR, WI – 

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Superior Refining Company LLC – based in Superior, Wisconsin – for failing to control the use and release of highly hazardous chemicals after an explosion and fire injured several employees. The company faces $83,150 in proposed penalties.

Investigators cited the refinery for eight serious violations of OSHA's process safety management procedures.

"Ensuring the mechanical integrity of critical equipment used during the refinery shutdown operation could have prevented this incident," said OSHA Eau Claire Area Office Director Mark Hysell. "Superior Refining Company LLC has been working cooperatively with OSHA to ensure a comprehensive process safety management program is implemented at the facility before resuming production." 



The company has 15 business days from receipt of the citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA's area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA's role is to help ensure these conditions for America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit https://www.osha.gov.

OSHA cited Larose Industries LLC – which operates as Cra-Z-Art – for continuing to expose employees to amputation hazards.

U.S. Department of Labor Cites Ohio Art Supply Manufacturer For Exposing Employees to Amputation Hazards


FAYETTE, OH – 

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Larose Industries LLC – which operates as Cra-Z-Art – for continuing to expose employees to amputation hazards. The Fayette, Ohio, art supply manufacturer faces proposed penalties totaling $152,441 for repeated and serious safety violations.

OSHA investigators determined that the company failed to implement and train employees on lockout/tagout procedures, exposed employees to crushing hazards, lacked adequate machine guarding, failed to train workers on safe electrical work practices, and ensure employees wore required personal protective equipment.

The company has 15 business days from receipt of the citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA's area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA's role is to help ensure these conditions for America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit https://www.osha.gov.

OSHA cited American Excelsior Company – based in Norwalk, Ohio – for machine guarding hazards after an employee required hospitalization when he suffered a crushed arm.

U.S. Department of Labor Cites Ohio Manufacturer For Safety Violations After Employee Injury


NORWALK, OH – 

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited American Excelsior Company – based in Norwalk, Ohio – for machine guarding hazards after an employee required hospitalization when he suffered a crushed arm. Proposed penalties total $213,411.

OSHA investigators determined that the employee sustained injuries when the machine began operating while he removed product build-up. OSHA cited the company, which manufactures biodegradable erosion control blankets, for failing to develop or implement energy control procedures to prevent unintentional machine start-up during maintenance, and train employees in energy control procedures. American Excelsior Company received citations for similar violations at its Rice Lake, Wisconsin, plant in 2017. OSHA has also placed the company in its Severe Violator Enforcement Program.

“This employer failed to implement safety procedures to prevent known hazards,” said OSHA Toledo Area Office Director Kimberly Nelson. “This injury could have been avoided if machine locking devices had been installed.”

The company has 15 business days from receipt of the citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role is to help ensure these conditions for America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit https://www.osha.gov. 

About Us

For more than a century, American Excelsior Company (AEC or American Excelsior) has manufactured and distributed products for packaging, cushioning, engineered foam specialties, erosion control, and a wide variety of engineered wood fibers. AEC’s nationwide manufacturing and distribution capabilities ensure efficient delivery from 8 distribution centers across the country.

Company Overview

AEC’s facilities are equipped with the latest technology and equipment to guarantee quality production of a wide variety of wood fiber excelsior and straw products, foam cushioning, and engineered and molded foam specialty products. Our high caliber logistics team ensures timely delivery and distribution operations to meet customer needs and maximize efficiency, while a dedicated sales force remains focused on refining and delivering solutions to a broad range of businesses and customers worldwide.
Headquartered in Arlington, TX, we pride ourselves on customer responsiveness and accessibility. Today, 8 distribution centers and 5 manufacturing plants across the country employ hundreds of people, all dedicated to providing our customers with the latest solutions to their packaging, custom foam, evaporative cooling, and erosion control needs.

Continental Structural Plastics Inc. faces proposed penalties of $107,168 after OSHA found employees exposed to amputation and struck-by hazards at its Carey, Ohio, facility.

U.S. Department of Labor Cites Ohio Plastics Manufacturer For Exposing Workers to Machine Hazards


CAREY, OH – 

Continental Structural Plastics Inc. faces proposed penalties of $107,168 after an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) found employees exposed to amputation and struck-by hazards at its Carey, Ohio, facility.

OSHA cited the plastics manufacturer for one repeated and three serious violations for failing to adequately train employees on lockout/tagout procedures, and ensure locking devices were attached to the machine as required; and for exposing workers to struck-by hazards from improperly stored materials. OSHA cited the company for similar violations in 2015.

Continental Structural Plastics Inc. has 15 business days from receipt of the citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with the OSHA area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role is to help ensure these conditions for America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit https://www.osha.gov. 

OUR HISTORY

Continental Structural Plastics (CSP) has more than 50 years of experience as a plastics manufacturer supplying compression molded components to the automotive industry. In the late 1960s, we invested in compression molding research and development to refine our composite products and improve our manufacturing techniques. We’ve progressed by focusing on technology, and advancing composite materials to create innovative design solutions through lightweighting, strengthening and molding techniques.

We create high-quality composites that are:

• Lightweight yet strong
• Resistant to dents, rust and corrosion
• Superior to metals in design and styling capabilities
• More cost‐effective than metals

Decades of experience working with composites combined with our commitment to quality have helped us to achieve zero PPM defects in the manufacturing process. Our products have replaced steel and aluminum in many applications, and offer superior strength-to-weight ratios for customers looking to reduce weight and increase fuel efficiency. With more than 50 patents covering materials development and manufacturing processes, our expert staff is aggressively developing and testing new materials and processes to further improve our products.

The F/V San Diego shrimping vessel grounded on a jetty approximately 7 miles NW of Key West, Florida; 3,000 gallons of marine diesel could spill into the sea from a breached hull

The fishing vessel, San Diego aground and discharging diesel in the Northwest Channel Jetty approximately 7 miles northwest of Key West, Oct. 2, 2018. Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Key West launched a Coast Guard Station Key West 45-foot Response Boat—Medium crew who arrived on scene, embarked the four people that were aboard the vessel and determined the hull was breached causing pollution in the area prompting them to send a pollution response team to mitigate the situation. (Coast Guard Photo)

F/V San Diego Grounding

Approximately 7 miles NW of Key West, FL | 2018-Oct-02

Initial Notification: 

On October 2, 2018 at 08:45 ET the F/V San Diego shrimping vessel grounded on a jetty approximately 7 miles NW of Key West. 

The USCG contacted the NOAA SSC requesting a fate & transport for potential discharge of 3000 gallons of marine diesel. 

==================================

Fishing boat runs aground and spills diesel fuel off Key West

By Gwen Filosa

gfilosa@flkeysnews.com

October 02, 2018

A fishing boat ran aground Tuesday morning and spilled diesel fuel from a breached hull about seven miles off Key West, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

The boat was carrying 2,000 gallons of diesel, but it was unclear Tuesday afternoon how much was in the water.

“It’s a very slow leak,” said Coast Guard spokeswoman Karrie Jeffries. “It wasn’t gushing out. We’re working with the weather and the seas to go back out there today. There’s not going to be someone there 24 hours a day.”

Coast Guard Key West received the report of the vessel, the San Diego, at about 8:46 a.m. and launched a 45-foot-long response boat to the jetty in the Northwest Channel, according to a press release.

At the scene, four people were removed from the boat.

The cause of the incident is under investigation. A pollution response team from Coast Guard Sector Key West was still on the scene at about 1:30 p.m.

The next step is to return to the scene at 6 p.m. and try to deploy a boom to contain the spill, said Jeffries.

TowBoatUS has been hired to clean up the spill.

The condition of the fishing vessel is being checked by the federal on-scene coordinator and marine inspectors from Sector Key West.

“Our primary concern here is the safety of the boating public, pollution responders, and contractors; all while protecting the environment,” said Lt. Quentin Long, Incident Management Division Chief of Sector Key West, in a statement.

“We are working under our Area Contingency Plan and coordinating efforts with federal, state, and trustee resources to assess and contain the discharge of oil as well as minimize the impact on environmentally sensitive ecosystems that we have here in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary,” Long added.

The sinking of Inspected Towing Vessel, ANNE DAVIS spilled 150 gallons of hydraulic oil, lube oil, waste oil, and red dye diesel in Lake Ferguson, MS

M/V ANNE DAVIS Sinking Lake Ferguson, MS

2219 Harbor Front Rd, Greenville, MS 38701, USA | 2018-Sep-28

Initial Notification: 

On 28 September, 2018 the USCG Sector Lower Mississippi River contacted the NOAA SSC regarding the sinking of Inspected Towing Vessel, ANNE DAVIS. 

An estimated 150 gallons of hydraulic oil, lube oil, waste oil, and red dye diesel was discharged. 

It is estimated that when the vessel sank it had approximately 4,000 gallons of diesel, 100 gallons lube oil, 100 gallons of hydraulic oil, and a small amount of waste oil onboard. 

The USCG has requested resources at risk information and assistance with ESA emergency consultation.

Sunken salt barge near Mile Marker (MM) 619 on the Mississippi River spilling 3,000 tons of salt

Salt barge MM 619 MS River

Mississippi River, Crumrod, AR | 2018-Sep-27

Initial Notification: 

On 9/27/2018, the USCG Sector Lower MS River contacted the NOAA SSC regarding a sunken salt barge near Mile Marker (MM) 619 on the Mississippi River. 

The USCG requested fate and effects for the cargo of 3,000 tons of salt.

Hilcorp reported a sheen incident 400 feet NE of their Granite Point oil drilling platform in Cook Inlet from a sunken vessel, Monarch

Monarch Granite Point

Cook Inlet, Alaska | 2018-Sep-24

Initial Notification: 

On 6-Sep-2018, Hilcorp reported a sheen incident 400 feet NE of their Granite Point oil drilling platform in Cook Inlet. 

The sheen is believed to be from a sunken vessel, Monarch. 

The USCG recovered sheen samples and would like NOAA to analyze the samples and determine the oil type.

Whale Carcass Trajectory San Juan Islands, WA

Whale Carcass Trajectory

San Juan Islands, WA | 2018-Sep-21

Initial Notification: 

On September 14, 2018 NOAA Fisheries' Regional Stranding Coordinator contacted ERD for information pertaining to possible locations of a deceased and drifting whale. 

The Regional Stranding Coordinator has requested a trajectory to help guide a search for the drifting carcass.