Tagged: Braithwaite

Sen. Mary Landrieu has nominated a father and son credited with rescuing dozens of neighbors from Hurricane Isaac's floodwaters for an award from the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.

The Louisiana Democrat said Friday that she nominated 53-year-old Jesse Shaffer III and his 25-year-old son, Jesse, for the Citizen Service Before Self Honors award because they showed "an extraordinary amount of courage, sacrifice and selfless service" during the storm.

State officials are investigating how many chemicals leaked from storage tanks at a facility flooded by Hurricane Isaac with about 10 feet of water.

Isaac's surge damaged the Stolthaven Braithwaite LLC chemical storage and transfer facility next to the Mississippi River in Braithwaite, a Plaquemines Parish community protected by levees overtopped by floodwaters.

The facility is owned by Stolt-Nielsen Ltd., a Norwegian company that ships bulk liquid chemicals, vegetable oils and other chemicals around the world.

The state Department of Environmental Quality is checking a report that as much as 191,000 gallons of toxic material may have been released during Hurricane Isaac from the Stolthaven chemical facility in Braithwaite. The company made the estimate to the Coast Guard’s National Response Center.