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The Chinese drywall issue has surely frustrated many in the Gulf Coast region. With rotten egg, sulfuric smells filling many newly built or renovated homes, homeowners are forced to flee or put up with a very problematic issue that no person should have to handle. The lawsuits regarding this issue have been both understandable and uphill as just who is responsible has been a difficult matter. While trying to stay optimistic, the Miami Herald recently outlined the difficulties in which plaintiffs and their clients face trying to pursue damages from overseas manufacturers for their faulty products.

Chinese manufacturers made more than half of the goods that the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recalled last year, but few of them paid any price for producing defective wares.

The long list of faulty products included Chinese-made highchairs whose seat backs failed, steam cleaners that burned their users, bikes whose front-wheel forks broke, saunas that overheated, illuminated exit signs that stopped working when commercial power failed, dune buggies whose seat belts broke on impact and coffee makers that overheated and started fires.

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In response to the recent chemical leak in Hahnville, Louisiana, by Dow Chemical, the Berniard Law Firm has filed a Class Action complaint on behalf of residents of Southeast Louisiana affected by the leak of dangerous chemicals that occurred on July 7th.

Representing all individuals affected physically, be it through headache, dizziness, nausea, burning of the eyes or other ailments, the class action looks to require Dow to take responsibility for the release of ethyl acrylate into the air from its St. Charles Parish plant. The actions the plant has taken in addressing the public’s risk to harm and the closing of River Road in parts demonstrates that an active and dangerous agent was released by Dow and the company bears responsibility for the harms this leak has caused.

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, ethyl acrylate is a strong irritant of the eyes, skin, mucous membranes, respiratory system and gastrointestinal tract in humans. As there is no way of knowing the level of ethyl acrylate Dow has exposed the Greater New Orleans area to on the morning of July 7th, action was necessary so as to demand accountability.

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The Dow Chemical Plant in Hahnville experienced a chemical spill on Tuesday, leading residents of Southeast Louisiana to experience a myriad of physical ailments while nearby residents were forced from their homes.

Per a NOLA.com article, the spill/leak involved ethyl acrylate, “a chemical used in the manufacture of a wide variety of household and cleaning products.” The leak led to a horrific smell that carried all the way into the downtown/metro area as winds and storms carried across the state. According to reports, the plant was notified of the leak around 6 a.m. Tuesday morning and employees and cleanup crews worked through the night to control the matter. However, nearby residents are still unable to return to their homes.

The article further profiles concerns relating to the leak

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In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, hundreds of services and plans were either indefinitely delayed or removed altogether as the city worked to rebuild and reestablish. One of those discontinued normalcies of New Orleans life included international flight service from Louis Armstrong International Airport. That changes today.

In an article written by the Associated Press, the service provides a pleasant story to remind Gulf Coast residents that New Orleans continues to bring back some of its pre-Katrina traits details how flights from MSY to Mexico are returning. Starting today, AeroMexico’s will be establishing a route to Mexico City.

The AP reports

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The NOLA.com recently ran a synopsis on Chinese Drywall and the various developments that have come from this very complicated issue, including discussion of a conference held in New Orleans on the issue.

A summary

Amid the welter of questions about tainted Chinese drywall, from the exact source of the product’s defect to how to address it, one thing is clear: the litigation the drywall has spawned is going to be complex, expensive and time-consuming.

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The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a governmental agency focused on monitoring the ocean and atmosphere throughout the year, has released its 2009 figures for what it expects to see this hurricane season:

While this might not seem like much, it is a more positive outlook than we saw last year. In last year’s predictions, there was a 65% prediction of more hurricanes than normal, as compared to 25% this year. As such, the Gulf Coast region may get a calm this season which would be a very welcome reality given the past decade and the amount of devastating storms that came through recently.

For tips on how to prepare for hurricane season, check out our section on hurricane and storm tips found here.

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Catching up on June happenings, it is important for those individuals affected by Hurricane Katrina to know that the timeline in which they may file for claims involving damage from the epic storm has been reset.

From NOLA.com

The class action allegations against insurers in the consolidated levee breach litigation have been dismissed, restarting the clock for anyone who is dissatisfied with the results of their Katrina claim and allowing them to file a lawsuit against their insurer nearly four years after the storm.

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The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, the overarching body responsible for product reliability and keeping dangerous products out of the country, is the governmental source to make claims to regarding Chinese drywall. While the CPSC has not been able to find a definitive way in which home or property owners can know if their drywall is the same faulty product imported by China, there are several telltale signs. Physical symptoms of exposure to Chinese drywall include:

  • itchy eyes
  • respiratory problems
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    As a heartening sign that lessons of the past have been learned, one city’s government has published a hurricane preparedness guide that is a solid tool for anyone in the Gulf Coast region to utilize.

    Available off of their website, the City of Boynton Beach has published a PDF that walks users through how to be best prepared in the event of a storm. As they put it

    The best way to cope with a hurricane is to prepare a plan in advance. The 2009 Hurricane Preparedness Guide is a compilation of the best advice from experts at the City of Boynton Beach, the American Red Cross, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other knowledgeable sources. It was written specifically for residents of Boynton Beach and contains important telephone numbers and locations of Publix stores and gasoline service stations with generators

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