This is the 31th article in this Opednews series about the Bayou Corne sinkhole. For more maps, diagrams and additional information, please see the previous installments in this series.
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, 2012, swallowing scores of 100-foot tall cypress trees.
Sinkhole, Aug 6. LEAN via SouthWings flight
(Image by Louisiana Environmental Action Network) Details DMCA
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, 2012, and 150 families were evacuated.
Today the sinkhole has grown to 40 acres, which is over a million square feet, and is equivalent to 36 football fields.
Inspired by the Bayou Corne sinkhole disaster, Lt. Gen. Russel Honore formed an alliance of Louisiana organizations called the "GreenARMY," an "alliance of civic, community, and environmental groups and concerned citizens from around the state ready to effect meaningful social, political, and environmental change in Louisiana."
Honore served as the 33rd commanding general of the U.S. First Army at Fort Gillem, Georgia. He is the author of "Leadership In The New Normal."
Leadership in the New Normal by Lt. Gen. Russel L. Honore
(Image by Lt. Gen. Russel L. Honore) Details DMCA
Nicknamed "The Ragin' Cajun," Honore' was commander of Joint Task Force Katrina and was responsible for coordinating military relief efforts for Katrina-affected areas across the Gulf Coast. Mayor Ray Nagin famously called him "the John Wayne dude." No-nonsense Honore is well-known for Katrina era quips including telling a reporter "Don't get stuck on stupid" and for barking at a solder displaying a weapon, --We're on a rescue mission, damn it!""
Sinkhole, Aug 6. LEAN via SouthWings flight
(Image by Louisiana Environmental Action Network) Details DMCA
Honore spoke at a Sierra Club Acadian Group meeting at the United Methodist Church in Lafayette, LA on July 19, about the GreenARMY and its goals.
Honore's GreenARMY task force will address environmental concerns in Louisiana, including:
* Sinkhole in Bayou Corne
* Louisiana coastal erosion
* Saltwater intrusion in the Baton Rouge aquifer
* Concerns about drilling in Lake Peigneur natural gas storage caverns
* Fracking
Cropped cover, Leadership in the New Normal by Lt. Gen. Russel L. Honore
(Image by Lt. Gen. Russel L. Honore) Details DMCA
Note: When Honore spoke at the Sierra Club Acadian Group meeting at the United Methodist Church in Lafayette, LA on July 19, he stated that the Bayou Corne sinkhole had grown to the size of 40 acres.
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