NEW ORLEANS —
In a press conference Wednesday, Mayor LaToya Cantrell spoke about the removal on containers of radioactive material from a Gert Town neighborhood.
“We acted swiftly because we know the vulnerability of our residents, particularly in Gert Town, over the years,” Cantrell said.
Eyewitness News spent the day looking over more than 500 pages of documents outlining what the city knew, and when they knew it, when it comes to the radioactive material under Lowerline Street.
The city says it was last December when they learned about underground material producing radiation below the road surface at the intersection of Lowerline and Coolidge Court.
We found exchanges between city leaders and the EPA discussing the site.
On April 30, 2019, there were conflicting views as to what the city was dealing with.
A Powerpoint presentation was presented to the city, as well as a draft removal memo.
The documents had different views on if the material at the site was a threat to the public.
The Powerpoint said no. The memo said yes.
The memo justified removing the radioactive material, saying that the site is a threat to public health and welfare.
The email went on to say that the current exposure rate from the site is several times higher than the EPA acceptable exposure limit.
It also found that the radiation source was contained to one block of lower line and had hot spots.
The email discussed putting up a barrier fence to keep the public at a safe distance.
The Powerpoint presentation was presented to city leaders by the Group CHP. The presentation talked about the history of the area and what they believe may be the source of this radiation.
On May 20, 2019, the city’s community outreach manager told leaders that they canvassed the area and found six people home. They said they attached flyers to each house, letting people know they’d be working in the area.
By then, residents started calling our news room, saying they were concerned about what was happening in their neighborhood. A lawsuit has now been filed in federal court from more than 1,000 residents living in Gert Town.
The Mayor’s office says the radioactive material has been there long before Mayor Cantrell took office.
The radiation was first found in 2013 ahead of the Superbowl as authorities prepared the city for the game, and nothing was done about it.