When Hurricane Sally made landfall in Alabama as a Category 2 hurricane in mid-September, it caused widespread damage to commercial and recreational vessels across both Alabama and Florida, according to Coast Guard Sector Mobile. The response to that damage is now fully under way.
On Tuesday, the sector’s hurricane response effort shifted to a maritime environmental response focused on vessel pollution cleanup and salvage operations.
“It’s important to understand the gravity of this situation,” said Cmdr. Kelly Thorkilson, Coast Guard Hurricane Sally incident commander. “We have identified more than one hundred vessels actively releasing pollution into the marine environment, and we need to continue to work closely with the community and partner agencies to ensure the cleanup process is conducted safely and effectively.” Read on.
