New Orleans Update

Minneapolis, MN, Feb 01, 2006 (Pace Analytical Services, Inc.)

In the aftermath of Katrina, our hearts went out to the millions of people devastated by what has become known as the greatest natural disaster ever to occur on U.S. soil. Jim Nelligan, regional sales manager for Pace’s Gulf Coast operations provided the following information regarding the trials and tribulations of the St. Rose lab and how they are faring at this point.
 

How much damage did the structures and equipment receive?  

“The laboratory sustained minor wind damage. How did employees in St. Rose and other Pace locations pitch in to get back up and running? 

“Although many of our employees lost their homes and all their worldly possessions, we had about six employees who were back at work the day after the storm, picking up samples and trying to get equipment and computer systems back up and running. We had a few employees who actually slept at the lab!” 

“Our field Supervisor, Marco Gibson, was picking up samples all around New Orleans even though he lost his house during the storm. He endured three hour commutes from Baton Rouge to get samples to other Pace labs. FedEx could only fly out of Baton Rouge for many weeks. The New Orleans airport was being used by the military as a staging area and triage center for those injured during the storm and no commercial flights were allowed during this time.” 

“The period from September through December is the busiest time of year for our business. Other Pace locations worked many hours to run samples for our clients. One Pace employee from our lab in Puerto Rico volunteered to work on an emergency response team assessing water quality in New Orleans. He left the comfort of a tropical island to live in a tent in the middle of the hurricane damaged city.” 

“The owners of Pace and employees were fantastic throughout this ordeal. All employees were paid 100% of their salaries during the five weeks that we were closed.  Many employees from other Pace locations donated money and clothing to New Orleans employees. They also donated some of their vacation time to the St. Rose employees. The company matched money and vacation time given by employees from other locations. The money was distributed to those employees most in need. The donated vacation time was used by most employees to meet with insurance adjustors, look for housing and to put their lives back together.”
 

How did the lab get samples and supplies?  

“Our couriers have done an extraordinary job during the past 4 months. They fought traffic, military checkpoints, and downed power lines to get samples and supplies for the lab. Our couriers made many trips to Houston (6-8 hours one way) in the middle of the night to make sure samples were shipped and supplies were received.”
 

Were there any unusual emergency analyses requested?  

“About 50% of our work over the last two months has been in support of the clean up of New Orleans. We have analyzed flood water and contaminated soils. The soil analysis is coming from pits that are being dug to burn debris. The plan is to build giant pits and burn the millions of metric tons of debris. The fires could last a year or more. The air emissions will be monitored. After the debris is burned the pits will be capped like a landfill. Probably the most unusual sample so far has been a foul smelling green goo that came from inside the Super Dome.”
 

Was the water quality in the area as bad as the news media made it out to be? 

“It appears that the claims of a ‘toxic soup’ were not accurate. Most studies show that much of the floodwater resembled storm water runoff. Much of the water exceeded EPA residential levels for bacteria PAHs and heavy metals. What we basically had in New Orleans was a year’s worth of storm water run off flowing through the city in only a few days. There were significant oil spills and gasoline leaks. Although many people expected higher levels of benzene, it appears that most of the lighter hydrocarbons were quickly evaporated from the water. Compounds found in common household chemicals such as aerosol paints, insecticides and adhesives, were also detected but at levels below human health concerns.”
 

Are all the employees back?  

“The good news is that all of our employees survived the storm. The bad news is that many have lost all their worldly possessions. Most will rebuild their lives in this ‘one of a kind city.’ But, unfortunately, for many others Katrina has became a major crossroads in their lives. About 20% of our New Orlean’s workforce have decided to leave the area, including our General Manager. Some left because they had no home and wanted to start over somewhere else. Some left to follow their loved ones who left the city, while a few decided to go back to school. Other employees left the area to raise their families in a ‘safer’ environment or to pursue other career opportunities. Obviously, the impact of this storm made many reflect on their lives and what they would like to do going forward.”

 

What would you do differently if there is a next time? 

“It’s hard to say what we would have done differently given the information that we had at the time. Katrina hit on a Monday. At 5:00 on the previous Friday, the National Weather Service was calling for Katrina to strike the panhandle of Florida. It was not until Saturday morning that we were informed that Katrina would likely hit the LA and MS coast. There was only enough time for our staff to get their families out of town. It was not possible to ship samples to another Pace lab before the storm. Katrina was the worst natural disaster that our country has ever seen. I don’t think it was feasible to have a plan in place that could have preserved all samples that were in the lab.”