Cleanup under way in 462,000-gallon oil spill off Port Arthur

CNN) -- Crews removed about 46,000 gallons of oil from waters near Port Arthur, Texas, on Sunday, roughly 10 percent of the oil spilled a day earlier when a tanker collided with two barges, a U.S. Coast Guard officer said.

An estimated 462,000 gallons of crude oil leaked from barrels aboard the tanker, forcing the closure of the port in southern Texas, Petty Officer Larry Chambers told CNN. The Sabine Neches Waterway near Port Arthur also was closed. It was unclear Sunday when the port, about 100 miles east of Houston, Texas, will reopen or when crews will finish the cleanup, he said.

"We certainly want it to be done as soon as possible, but with that said, safety is the main issue," Chambers said. "We're not going to open the port until it's determined that vessels can pass through cleanly, safely and not cause any further damage."

No injuries were reported when the Exxon Mobile-chartered tanker -- the 807-foot Eagle Otome -- collided Saturday with two barges being towed by a tug boat. The tanker was carrying about 570,000 gallons of crude oil to Exxon's Beaumont refinery when it crashed, Exxon Mobile spokesman Kevin Allexon told CNN. The cause of the crash was unknown, but is under investigation, he said.

"We are very concerned about how this could have happened," Allexon said. "We are very concerned about the impact to the environment, to the community. No one wants to see this happen."

The port is primarily for industrial use, but it is not far from wetlands. None of the nearby marshes or sensitive wildlife were adversely affected, Chambers said, but one heron was "oiled." The bird was alive and undergoing treatment, he said.

An evacuation order that was imposed in a 50-block area around the port after the collision was lifted. That area was evacuated Saturday out of caution, as the tanker was carrying a type of oil containing sulfide.

Fifteen skimming vessels sailed the area recovering the oil and workers dropped more than 45,000 feet of boom -- fencing-like material -- to keep the oil from spreading, Chambers said. More than 500 people were involved in containing and cleaning the spill, said Darrell Wilson, spokesman for Malaysia-based AET Tanker Holdings, the owner of the tanker.

The biggest oil spill in U.S. history occurred in 1989 when the Exxon Valdez ran aground on a reef in the Gulf of Alaska, resulting in the spill of 11 million gallons of crude.

CY-FAIR HOSPITAL ACHIEVES RECOGNITION AS A PRIMARY STROKE FACILITY FROM THE DSHS

Houston, Texas – Cypress Fairbanks Medical Center Hospital has been recognized as a Level II Primary Stroke Facility from the Texas Department of State Health Services. The hospital was recognized at an event hosted by the Office of Emergency Medical Services (EMS)/Trauma Systems Coordination and awarded the prestigious designation.

When someone is having a stroke, they need prompt emergency medical care. During a stroke blood supply to the brain is cut off or disrupted, causing part of the brain to go without the oxygen-rich blood it needs. The longer the brain goes without blood, the greater the chance a disability will occur. According to the American Stroke Association, stroke is the number one cause of disability in adults and the third leading cause of death in the United States. On average, someone suffers a stroke every 40 seconds.

“The purpose of our new stroke facility designation program is to establish a framework for developing a voluntary, statewide emergency treatment system for stroke victims,” said Jane Guerrero, Director of the Office of EMS/Trauma Systems Coordination. “Patterned after our well-established trauma system, stroke designation will allow stroke victims to be rapidly transported to and treated in appropriate stroke-treatment facilities.”
Cypress Fairbanks Medical Center Hospital’s comprehensive cardiovascular and stroke program has a protocol driven and systematic approach to patient management allowing physicians to reduce the time to treatment during the early stages of a heart attack or stoke, when treatments are most effective.

“Cypress Fairbanks Medical Center Hospital has demonstrated that our program follows national standards and guidelines that can significantly improve outcomes for stroke patients,” said Cindy Hudgens, RN, BSN, CNRN, Cardiovascular and Stroke Coordinator of the hospital. “Our team is committed to clinical excellence, and the Level II Primary Stroke Facility designation is proof of their tremendous efforts.”

The Stroke Team at Cypress Fairbanks Medical Center Hospital, a team of specially trained physicians, nurses and staff, is called to action when a patient is exhibiting symptoms of a stroke. The team consults with highly trained neurologists, called Specialists on Call, via an advanced telecommunications system, referred to as telemedicine, to review each stroke patient’s condition and to quickly establish a course of treatment with the qualified specialists.

Specialists on Call provides consultation support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to hospitals and on-site physicians nationwide, with access to experts in emergency neurology and stroke care. Cypress Fairbanks Medical Center Hospital is the only hospital in northwest Houston working with Specialists on Call for stroke treatment, an important factor in being able to offer quality stroke care to the community.

In addition to designation as a Level II Primary Stroke Facility, Cy-Fair Hospital is also certified by The Joint Commission as a Primary Stroke Center.

One killed 2-wounded in domestic dispute.

Stabbings Leave 1 Person Dead, 2 People Hurt

CYPRESS, Texas - One person is killed and two others are hurt after an alleged domestic disturbance ends with all three people stabbed in northwest Harris County.

Deputies arrived after 10 a.m. Monday to a house at the intersection of Tall Forest Drive and Park Forest Drive in Cypress and found the victims with stab wounds.

For more updates on this developing news, visit MyFoxHouston.com.