Storm Ida causes miles-long oil spill in Gulf of Mexico
Storm Ida has resulted in a sizeable oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the US coastguard has confirmed.
Aerial images show miles of oil in the water around two miles south of Port Fourchon, Louisiana.
Coastguard spokesman Lieutenant John Edwards said the source of the spill is an undersea crude oil pipeline owned by Talos Energy.
An aerial image shows the oil spill south of Port Fourchon, Louisiana. Pic: AP/ Maxar
The Houston-based firm confirmed it has employed the non-profit oil spill response team Clean Gulf Associates to clean up the damage, but is disputing responsibility.
It said it had chartered two 95ft (29m) response boats, as well as a lift vessel to allow divers to investigate the cause of the leak.
“Talos will continue to work closely with the US coastguard and other state and federal agencies to identify the source of the release and coordinate a successful response,” it said in a statement.
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Sky News travels to Manville in New Jersey to speak to those affected by Ida
“The company’s top priorities are the safety of all personnel and the protection of the public and environment.”
It comes as a huge clean-up operation begins along the East Coast, with communities along the Rahway River in New Jersey fishing through waterlogged belongings from inside homes and businesses.
The death toll from Ida, has now reached at least 64, with two more confirmed at a care home overwhelmed by flooding in Tangipaho, Louisiana.
Waterlogged belongings line a street in Manville, New Jersey. Pic: AP
Among the others confirmed to have died are four who suffered carbon monoxide poisoning in Louisiana and two who died when the highway they were on collapsed in Mississippi.
Cars have swept away with people inside and others in New York drowned when their basement apartments flooded.
President Joe Biden visited Louisiana on Saturday and will head to badly-hit communities in New Jersey on Tuesday.
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Rescue boats used in New York and New Jersey
His administration has already distributed $100m (£72m) to those affected in Louisiana alone.
Calling for national unity, he promised to “have your backs until this gets done” and said: “This isn’t about being a Democrat or a Republican. We’re Americans and we’ll get through this together.”
Thousands of people gathered in various cities across the US as protests against Donald Trump and Elon Musk took place in all 50 states on Saturday.
Around 1,200 demonstrations were planned in locations including Washington DC, New York City and West Palm Beach, Florida – just miles away from where the US president has this weekend played golf.
The “Hands Off!” protests were against the Trump administration’s handling of government downsizing, human rights and the economy, among other issues.
In Washington DC, protesters streamed on the grass in front of the Washington Monument, where one person carried a banner which read: “Make democracy great again.”
Thousands gathered in Washington DC to rally against various Trump policies. Pic: AP
Pic: AP
Another protester took aim at Mr Trump‘s handling of Russia and Ukraine, with a placard that read: “Stop Putin’s puppets from destroying America.”
Tesla boss Mr Musk also featured on many signs due to his role in controversial government cuts as head of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Demonstrators in NYC. Pic: AP
People marching in Atlanta, Georgia. Pic: Reuters
A rally in Vermont. Pic: The Brattleboro Reformer via AP
Terry Klein, a retired biomedical scientist, said she drove to the rally to protest Mr Trump’s policies on “everything from immigration to the DOGE stuff to the tariffs this week, to education”.
“I mean, our whole country is under attack, all of our institutions, all the things that make America what it is,” she added.
A drone view of the protest at the Utah State Capitol building. Pic Reuters
A protester sports a Handmaid’s Tale costume. Pic: Reuters
Pic: Reuters
Some at the various protests carried Ukrainian flags, while others sported rainbow attire and waved rainbow flags in support of the LGBTQ+ community.
Other protesters wore Palestinian keffiyeh scarves and carried “Free Palestine” signs.
Thousands marched in New York City’s midtown Manhattan and in Boston, Massachusetts, while hundreds gathered in the sunshine outside the Utah State Capitol building in Salt Lake City, and in the rain outside the Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio.
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Mr Trump – who shook financial markets with his tariffs announcement this week – spent the day in Florida, playing a round of golf before returning to his Mar-a-Lago residence.
People protest in Manhattan. Pic: Reuters
Activists in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Pic: AP
Some four miles from Mar-a-Lago, more than 400 people gathered – and drivers honked their horns in support of protesters who held up signs including one which read: “Markets tank, Trump golfs.”
The White House has said Mr Trump plans to go golfing again on Sunday.
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