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Greater Baton Rouge industrial facilities
slowly orchestrating start up
The Greater Baton Rouge Industry Alliance Inc. (GBRIA), a
non-profit association made up of 50 area industrial manufacturing
facilities, reports that most of its member facilities have
power and are beginning the process of starting up operations
in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the thousands of
families who are displaced or who have lost loved ones,"
says GBRIA Executive Director Connie Fabré. "Many
of the area facilities are providing assistance to sister
plants in the Greater New Orleans area and trained plant emergency
responders are participating in rescue efforts in New Orleans.
"The human loss is tragic beyond comprehension, however,
it is imperative that our facilities get back online in order
to minimize a disruption of needed supplies and to prevent
price escalations," she adds. "The most difficult
challenges for start up right now are logistical issues related
to ensuring raw material supply and the ability to ship to
customers.
"Several plants have sourced product from other areas
such as Houston, TX and are configuring new shipment routes
to reach customers. Starting up the industrial manufacturing
corridor is a careful orchestration of many resources including
labor, power, raw materials, and transportation."
The Safety Council of the Louisiana Capital Area, which provides
safety training and preparation for workers to enter industrial
facilities is fully operational and ready to staff up to help
process thousands of additional contract workers that will
be needed to help in the reconstruction process of Baton Rouge
and New Orleans area plants.
"We have not yet been able to reach The Greater New
Orleans Business Roundtable or The Greater New Orleans Industrial
Education Council, our counterparts in that area however we
are standing by to provide any assistance we can," says
Fabré.
The industrial facilities surrounding the Baton Rouge area
make products ranging from gasoline to pharmaceuticals, construction
adhesives, disinfectants, PVC, sanitary supplies and other
materials that are needed in rescue, recovery and reconstruction
efforts.
Cash sought to help hurricane victims,
volunteers should not self-dispatch
Voluntary organizations are seeking cash donations to assist
victims of Hurricane Katrina in Gulf Coast states, according
to Michael D. Brown, under secretary of homeland security
for emergency preparedness and response.
But volunteers should not report directly to the affected
areas unless directed by a voluntary agency.
"Cash donations are especially helpful to victims,"
Brown said. "They allow volunteer agencies to issue cash
vouchers to victims so they can meet their needs. Cash donations
also allow agencies to avoid the labor-intensive need to store,
sort, pack and distribute donated goods. Donated money prevents
the prohibitive cost of air or sea transportation that donated
goods require."
Volunteer agencies provide a wide variety of services after
disasters, such as clean up, childcare, housing repair, crisis
counseling, sheltering and food.
"We're grateful for the outpouring of support already,"
Brown said. "But it's important that volunteer response
is coordinated by the professionals who can direct volunteers
with the appropriate skills to the hardest-hit areas where
they are needed most. Self-dispatched volunteers and especially
sightseers can put themselves and others in harm's way and
hamper rescue efforts."
Following is a list of phone numbers set up solely for cash
donations and/or volunteers.
Donate cash to:
American Red Cross
1-800-HELP NOW (435-7669) English,
1-800-257-7575 Spanish;
Operation Blessing
1-800-436-6348
America's Second Harvest
1-800-344-8070
Donate Cash to and Volunteer with:
Adventist Community Services
1-800-381-7171
B'nai B'rith International
Catholic Charities, USA
1-800-919-9338
Christian Disaster Response
941-956-5183 or 941-551-9554
Christian Reformed World Relief Committee
1-800-848-5818
Church World Service
1-800-297-1516
Convoy of Hope
417-823-8998
Corporation for National and Community Service Disaster Relief
Fund
(202) 606-6718
Lutheran Disaster Response
800-638-3522
Mennonite Disaster Service
717-859-2210
Nazarene Disaster Response
888-256-5886
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance
800-872-3283
Salvation Army
1-800-SAL-ARMY (725-2769)
Southern Baptist Convention -- Disaster Relief
1-800-462-8657, ext. 6440
United Methodist Committee on Relief
1-800-554-8583
For further information: visit the website for the National
Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD) at: http://www.nvoad.org/.
Hurricane Katrina slams into Louisiana,
Mississippi
On Aug. 29, Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Louisiana
and Mississippi Gulf Coast with 140 mph winds.
What appeared to be only a glancing blow to New Orleans turned
more severe as the Lake Pontchartrain Levee was breached in
five locations, inundating more than 80 percent of the city
with water.
Reports of catastrophic devastation also come from the Mississippi
Gulf Coast, with homes and businesses leveled and several
Gulf Coast casinos hurled hundreds of yards inland. Several
of the floating barge casinos in Biloxi were removed from
their moorings by the hurricane’s 25-ft. wall of water.
Fatalities were expected to exceed those of Hurricane Camille
in 1969.
As the scale of this unprecedented tragedy continues to
unfold, Louisiana Contractor magazine will strive to report
on repair and recovery efforts, as well as provide Web links
to news reports, emergency information and phone numbers.
Ernest Young "Mr. Elevator"
Dies at 72 Ernest Young, 72, has died following a brief illness. Young was
known as "Mr. Elevator" in the Shreveport area, a nickname he acquired
as co-owner of Tri-State Elevator for 37 years and president for 23 years.
Young
was a member of Associated General Contractors, a member of the
Subcontractors
Advisory Commission, life member of the Broadmoor YMCA and served as its chairman
of the board when the new facility was built. He served on the board of the Sports
Foundation Museum, was a life member of the Elks Club, member of SBEA, the Barksdale
Eagles, East Ridge Country Club, and the Shreveport and Bossier chambers of commerce.
He is survived by his wife of 49 years, Patricia Ellis Young of Shreveport,
a daughter and son-in-law, Denise Young Hamilton and David Hamilton of The Woodlands,
Texas; son, Thomas Ellis Young of Houston, Texas; and son, Michael David Young
of Denver, Colo.
Regency
to Spend $125 million on Pipeline Expansion Regency Gas Services
LLC said it will spend $125 million on capital projects that will extend and expand
existing intrastate gas pipelines in north Louisiana.
The Dallas-based
midstream gas gathering and transmission company said the projects will add a
24-in. pipeline along 40 mi. of existing intrastate pipeline.
Construction
has already begun on the Haughton to Sibley portion of the project, which should
be completed this month.
Regency will also extend the pipeline by 80 mi.
to markets within the state and interstate pipelines in Louisiana, including Columbia
Gulf's pipeline near Winnsboro.
Regency expects to complete the projects
before the end of the year.
Completion of the projects will aid in transmitting
natural gas from basins in north Louisiana to markets within the state, as well
as markets in the Northeast, Southeast and upper Midwest, Regency said.
SJB Group's Land
Surveying Division Receives Honors SJB Group Inc. of Baton Rouge
received four awards from the Louisiana Society of Professional Surveyors during
the recent 2005 Annual Meeting and Convention in Houma.
SJB Group received
honors in the Boundary Map, the Topographic Map, the Subdivision Plat and the
Miscellaneous Survey categories.
SJB Group provides planning, civil engineering,
land surveying, construction services and recreational consulting services to
commercial, industrial, institutional and governmental clients throughout the
Southeastern region.
State's
Job Skills Program Creates Opportunity
for Employers and Workers As
the state's primary link between employers and workers, the Louisiana Department
of Labor is charged with administering innovative programs to create skilled workers.
In recent years, LDOL's Incumbent Worker Training Program has given employees
the specialized training they need to excel in their jobs.
In an effort
to simplify the IWTP application process, LDOL recently unveiled its new online
application for customized training. Businesses can apply on line as well as check
the status of their application and receive notification of approval. IWTP program
advisors and specialists are still available in all regions of the state to help
employers with the application process.
"We want to make Incumbent
Worker as accessible as possible," said IWTP Director Jim Henderson. "Our
new online capabilities give employers one more way to apply for these critical
training grants."
To participate in the customized program, employers
must have been in business in Louisiana for three years and in full compliance
with state unemployment insurance tax laws. IWTP was created by the Legislature
in 1997 to help Louisiana businesses train their existing workers.
Dow Recognized
for Outstanding Safety Performance The National Petrochemical and
Refining Association (NPRA) recognized the Dow facility in St. Charles Parish
for its record of safe operations in 2004.
The awards presentations took
place during the Safety Awards Banquet held at the recent NPRA Conference in New
Orleans.
The St. Charles Operations received four prestigious awards at
this event:
Gold Award - 57 percent reduction in injury/illness rates
Award for Meritorious Safety Performance - 0.2 Injury/Illness Rate
Award for Safety Achievement
Award for Safety Achievement - 2,253,385
safe work hours
Project to Rescue Port Highway
Gets Boost from Bush Administration Louisiana's
plans to rescue the highway to Port Fourchon from floods got a boost recently
from U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta when he announced final approval
of a $66 million federal loan for the project during a visit to the port.
The
loan program will help the state build a 17-mi. elevated toll highway, known as
LA 1, connecting the port to land less susceptible to flooding, Mineta said.
"It
is clear that a two-lane road that floods at the sight of rain is no longer adequate
to service this vital gulf port," Mineta said.
The loan will help
with Phase 1 of the project, which includes construction of a two-lane elevated
highway south of Leeville to Port Fourchon; construction of a fixed-span, high-level,
two-lane bridge over Bayou Lafourche at Leeville; and the interchanges and connector
roads immediately north and south of Leeville.
The LA 1 project is expected
to cost $254 million when completed, using a mix of federal, state and private
funds. All toll revenue will be used to repay project debt.
Gainey's Concrete Receives NPCA Certification The
National Precast Concrete Association (NPCA) recently announced that Gainey's
Concrete Products Inc. of Holden has certified its manufacturing facility.
The
NPCA Plant Certification Program is a comprehensive look at all aspects of precast
concrete production. Precast plants that become certified must meet high standards
in all areas of production, safety and information management.
CLM
Equipment Earns Top 10 Dealer Award CLM Equipment Co. of Broussard was recently
honored by Kobelco Construction Machinery as a Top 10 Dealer based on 2004 sales.
"CLM
has achieved what few others have because of their dedication to their customers,"
said Bill Mayes, director of sales for Kobelco's Western Region.
What
started as a three-main, one-location operation in 1966 has grown into three stores
with more than 100 employees servicing Louisiana and southeast Texas.
Composite Mat Opens
Carencro Headquarters Composite Mat Solutions, a wholly owned subsidiary of
SOLOCO LLC, a Newpark Resources Co., has opened its headquarters in Carencro.
As
the new worldwide headquarters for manufacturing and operations, the CMS facility
will focus on developing, manufacturing and marketing thermoplastic mat systems
for roadways, workpads and site access.
"We have been working toward
this goal for more than a year," said Frank Buck, CMS president.
Snare Applauds
ASSE for Reduction in Fatalities Jonathon Snare of The Occupational
Safety & Health Administration applauded the American Society of Safety Engineers
at its Safety 2005 Conference in New Orleans for its contribution to the reduction
in occupational fatalities.
"As we continue our alliance with ASSE
we look forward to expanding the scope and continuing to partner for prevention,"
said Snare, OSHA administrator.
Enforcement is one of three areas that
OSHA is focusing its efforts to encourage continual improvement in workplace safety
and health. Snare said OSHA is projecting 37,700 inspections for 2005 and that
in 2004 they exceeded their target of completing 39,167 inspections.
Snare
said OSHA had identified 83,539 workplace violations in 2003, 86,708 in 2004 and
45,545 so far in 2005.
"One of our most significant successes under
our alliance with ASSE was in promoting the May North American Occupational Safety
and Health Week with ASSE in Washington, D.C., and across the country," Snare
said. "We look forward to doing the same in 2006."
More than
3,400 ASSE members from the U.S. and 26 other countries attended the ASSE Safety
2005 Conference in New Orleans in June.
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