Global Disasters/ Significant Events – 24 July 2013

Fire breaks out on evacuated Gulf gas well

Fire has broken out on a blown-out Gulf of Mexico gas well, a federal official has just confirmed.

Natural gas spewing from the Hercules 265 drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico about 55 miles off the Louisiana off the coast of Louisiana, Tuesday, July 23, 2013.  Photo released by the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement. 

The drilling rig operated by Walter Oil & Gas was evacuated early Tuesday after the blowout occurred; the fire broke out late Tuesday.

“All 44 personnel on board have been safely evacuated and are being transported to a secure location. No injuries have been reported. No oil has been released.” Walter Oil & Gas said in a statement.

Earlier The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) posted the following statement on their website:

BSEE Responds to Well Control Event at South Timbalier Block 220, 55 miles offshore Louisiana

July 23, 2013– The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) is responding to a report of a loss of well control 55 miles offshore Louisiana in 154 feet of water. Walter Oil & Gas this morning reported the loss of control of Well A-3 on an unmanned platform at South Timbalier Block 220 while doing completion work on the sidetrack well to prepare the well for production. The well is flowing gas and no oil is being released. The operator reports that 44 personnel have been evacuated safely from the Hercules 265 jack-up rig.

BSEE inspectors conducting an overflight reported a light sheen one-half mile by 50 feet in area which is dissipating almost immediately. BSEE inspectors will remain at a near-by platform to keep abreast of the situation. BSEE is closely monitoring Walter Oil & Gas’ mobilization of its response efforts to stop the flow of gas and secure the well.

BSEE is closely coordinating with the Coast Guard and other federal agencies on response efforts.

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Other Major Disasters/ Significant Events

Lake County, Ohio, Declared Disaster Area after Extensive Flooding

Officials have declared the Lake County a disaster area, after flooding hit many cities in the County on Saturday affecting thousands of residents, and damaging at least 3,000 homes.

The heaviest flood damage occurred in the western half of Lake County from Wickliffe to Mentor, officials stated.

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Warm Springs wildfire spreads, more Oregon homes evacuated

The Sunnyside Turnoff fire started at about 10 a.m. on Saturday, July 20 along Highway 3 near Warm Springs, Oregon. Unseasonably hot weather, coupled with low humidities and strong winds caused the fire to escape initial and extended attack efforts. Inciweb reported.

“Firefighters evacuated about 40 homes in the Warm Springs area Sunday afternoon as a raging wildfire spread across thousands of acres of open country on the Indian reservation,” said a report.

Fire crews had earlier evacuated 200 homes, according to reports.

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Wildfire forces Idaho’s Redfish Lake campers and gusts to evacuate

The 210 Road Fire, which ignited Monday, has consumed about a square mile of pine and brush in the Sawtooth National Forest.

Officials have evacuated the campgrounds on the lake’s southern edge and guests staying at the Redfish Lake Lodge located at the base of the Sawtooth Mountains, said a report.

There are currently 11 major wildfires burning tens of thousands of acres across southern and eastern Idaho, fueled by drought, high temperatures and low humidity. The blazes include Papoose Fire, Ridge Fire, Brown Butte, Thunder City, Lodgepole, Rough Creek, Gold Pan, Pine Creek Fire, Bradley and Summit Fire.

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The Disaster President Signs Missouri Disaster Declaration

The Disaster President has declared a major disaster exists in the State of Missouri in the areas affected by severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes, and flooding during the period of May 29 to June 10, 2013.

The areas most severely affected were the counties of Barton, Callaway, Cape Girardeau, Chariton, Clark, Howard, Iron, Knox, Lewis, Lincoln, Maries, Marion, Miller, Montgomery, Osage, Perry, Pike, Putnam, Ralls, Shelby, St. Charles, St. Louis, Ste. Genevieve, Stoddard, Sullivan, Texas, and Webster.

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NW China Earthquake Update

Death has climbed to at least 95 after a 6.6-magnitude quake  followed by a significant aftershock struck NW China on Monday.

“As of 5 p.m. Tuesday, the number of people that have been treated by medical institutions was 1,243, including 185 patients reported to be in a serious or critical status,” said a report.

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UPDATED: Wednesday, 24 July 2013, 16:09

Severe Storms and Hail Damage up to 90% of France’s Burgundy Vine

Tuesday’s storms have damaged or destroyed up to 90 percent of the vines, threatening output for both the 2013 and 2014 vintages, said a report quoting producers.

“It is awful to see these vines ripped by hail and several years of wine growers’ work destroyed by the weather in one afternoon,” said the head of France’s independent wine makers.

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Obama’s energy security falls around his ankles

39 rig blowouts in the Gulf between 1992 and 2006: MMS Study

“Let me be clear: I continue to believe that domestic oil production is an important part of our overall strategy for energy security” —Barrack Obama

Let us be clear, Mr President: Has it ever occurred to you that the people who are ‘securing’ our energy are cheats, liars and corporate profiteers?

Mr Obama has, to quote the famous line by John Maynard Keynes, ‘the extraordinary belief that the nastiest of men for the nastiest of motives will somehow work for the benefit of all.’

Click image to enlarge

The oil well 41 miles offshore is leaking an estimated 5,000 barrels (about 210,000 gallons, or 795,000 liters) of crude oil per day, into the gulf, according to the officials.

Fire Earth estimate is closer to 8,000bpd because that’s how much oil the well was producing before the blow-out.

Waves deposit oil on Louisiana beaches, unimpressed by booms deployed along the coastline, Thursday, April 29. The underwater well about 41 miles SE of Louisiana was damaged after a blowout which caused its drilling platform, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, to explode, burn out and sink. Photo Credit: Liz Condo/Ap. Image may be subject to copyright.

It would take about 2 to 3 months to drill a relief well that would allow plugging the damaged well on the sea floor which is gushing crude some 1.5 km (5,000 feet) below the surface.  All activities at that depth can only be performed by remote control devices.

It has been revealed that British Petroleum downplayed the probability of a blow-out at the leaking well which caused the offshore rig Deepwater Horizon to explode, leaking what is by now at least 2.3 million [Fire-Earth estimate] gallons of crude oil in to the Gulf.

In its environmental impact analysis, BP repeatedly suggested that it was virtually impossible  for an accident to occur that would be serious enough to damage the coastal areas or harm the marine species mammals and fisheries.

Worse than that, the BP’s plan for the Deepwater Horizon well was approved by the federal Minerals Management Service. The plan which was filed  in February 2009, repeatedly states that it would be “unlikely that an accidental surface or subsurface oil spill would occur from the proposed activities.”

Where the company conceded that a spill might “cause impacts” to the coastal areas, marine animals and wildlife refuges, it down plays the impact saying,  “due to the distance to shore (41 miles) and the response capabilities that would be implemented, no significant adverse impacts are expected.”

“Clearly, the sort of occurrence that we’ve seen on the Deepwater Horizon is clearly unprecedented,” BP spokesman David Nicholas told The Associated Press on Friday. “It’s something that we have not experienced before … a blowout at this depth.”

How can BP, the oil behemoth with 101 years of drilling experience in every nook and cranny in the world, cite this level of ignorance as a credible excuse?

What about the Minerals Management Service? Surely, they should have been aware of the blowouts in the Gulf.

“According to a 2007 study by the federal Minerals Management Service, which examined the 39 rig blowouts in the Gulf of Mexico between 1992 and 2006, cementing was a contributing factor in 18 of the incidents. In all the cases, gas seepage occurred during or after cementing of the well casing, the MMS said.” AP reported.

Perhaps an MMS spokesman could clarify this: Why in the Gulf did they allow BP to go ahead and drill the well without a control plan, and in the absence of safety checks and emergency procedures?

More Terrifying Stats and Findings :

• The catastrophe could escalate even further and enter a new nightmarish dimension if the damaged underwater well were to develop a major rupture, resulting in the entire content of the well, a humongous amount of crude oil, spilled into the Gulf.

• Fire Earth Forecasts at Least 10 Major Oil Spills Worldwide between May 2010 and December 2011.

• The joint industry-federal team responsible for the cleanup operation has sprayed about 200,000 gallons (757,000 liters) of dispersant to “attack” the spill so far. “Dispersant only alters the destination of the toxic compounds in the oil,” an expert said.  “Dispersant only alters the destination of the toxic compounds in the oil. [There’ re ]no good answers to a mess this big, only degrees of damage to various life-forms.”

Related Links:

• Fire-Earth Forecasts 10 Major Oil Spills to End 2011
• Are things as bad as they look …
• Oil Spill: Drilling Ban Imposed in New Areas of US Coast
• Gulf Oil Spill Reaches Mouth of Mississippi River

What Others Say  [FEWW Selection]

• “Drill, baby, drill”: Fox News’ environmental catastrophe

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