Bayou Corne Sinkhole, 04.02.13 showing berm construction
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This update is the 14th article in this Opednews series about the Bayou Corne sinkhole.
BACKGROUND: In Spring of 2012, Louisiana's Corne and Grand Bayou residents noticed strange bubbling in the bayou for many weeks, and they reported smelling burnt diesel fuel and sulfur. Suddenly a sinkhole the size of three football fields appeared on Aug. 3, swallowing scores of 100-foot tall cypress trees. The sinkhole resulted from the failure of Texas Brine Company's abandoned underground brine cavern. The Department of Natural Resources issued a Declaration of Emergency on Aug. 6, and 150 families were evacuated.
For maps, diagrams and additional information, please see the thirteen previous installments in this series, listed at the end of this article.
NAPOLEONVILLE, LA: The 8-month old, continually growing sinkhole in Bayou Corne, Louisiana, is an unprecedented ecological event.
The sinkhole is currently 975' x 840,' according to a map released by the Assumption Parish office of Homeland Security & Emergency Prepardness on April 3, 2013. This is large enough to hold the HMS Titanic, (at 882' long with a 92' beam.)
(Composite image for illustrative purposes, not to scale.)
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When the sinkhole first appeared in on August 3, the diameter was 372-feet, and it covered approximately 3 acres. Current estimates place the size at 15 - 20 acres.
The most recent figures place the depth (which fluxuates) at approximately 440 feet.
If the 555' high Washington Monument was placed in the sinkhole, only the top 1/5 would be visible.
Washington Monument
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On March 19, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal made his first visit to the Bayou Corne community since the crisis began in August, 2012. Shortly after, he called for the creation of a Blue Ribbon Committee to "provide science-based recommendations for public safety in the Bayou Corne area."
The Commission's purpose is to ensure the long-term safety of Bayou Corne residents through development of specific criteria to measure progress in achieving safety goals. A list of the 13 members, and additional info, is here.
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