The Coast Guard says more than a ton of oil has been discovered in recent days beneath the sand on Fourchon Beach as a result of Tropical Storm Karen.
Officials suspect the mat of oil had been hidden by sand before being uncovered by the effects of the storm, which lingered along the Gulf Coast a little over a week ago, and was discovered during cleanup efforts that began this weekend.
Even though Karen's storm surge was not enough to trigger an immediate assessment, Petty Officer Michael Anderson tells The Courier on-scene coordinators dispatched cleanup teams out of precaution.
Anderson says oil found in areas still actively being cleaned is assumed to be a result of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill.
