The Louisiana Solid Waste Association (LSWA) will hold its annual conference on March 18 and 19 at the Cajundome Convention Center in Lafayette, LA. Todd Perry, PPM co-founder and Principal, will present a talk “Natural Disasters and Underground Storage Tanks” and explain how business owners can mitigate the risks of damage to their UST systems in the event of a natural disaster.
“Louisiana has its fair share of natural disasters, from flooding to tornadoes to hurricanes. While we can’t prevent these events, we can do a number of things to protect our business assets when these storms do inevitably occur,” said Perry.
Perry recalls how PPM sprang to action after hurricane Katrina in 2005, working across the state to help repair the damage caused by the massive storm. “We had crews working around the clock identifying releases, assessing damage and preparing remediation plans. We saw USTs that had floated down the street and canopies torn from their foundations. It was a mess, but our crews knew exactly what to do.” Despite the widespread damage caused by the megastorm, Perry encourages that there are ways business owners can better protect their assets with appropriate preparedness plans.
Since that time, PPM has worked with numerous gas station owners and operators to prepare contingency plans that can mitigate some risk the next time Louisiana weathers a storm. Perry cautioned, “Because by the time it’s here, it’s too late to plan for it.”
Registration for the 2016 LSWA conference is now open. The two-day event will feature 48 unique sessions as well as exhibitors from across the state. To register, visit https://www.lswa.us/index.html.