Filipino Workers Allege Offshore Oil Co. Abandoned Them To Hurricane Ida

Climate Signals Summary: An offshore oil company abandoned Filipino workers in inadequate bunkhouses as climate-fueled Hurricane Ida slammed into southeast Louisiana in August 2021, 10 employees allege in a lawsuit. “I could not think of anything to do but to pray and to pray,” Renato Decena, one of the plaintiffs — whose claims against Grand Isle Shipyard include violations like abusive behavior, discrimination, and violation of federal fair housing and human trafficking law — told the AP.

Article Excerpt:

As Hurricane Ida struck the Louisiana Gulf Coast in August 2021, Renato Decena and Rosel Hernandez watched the storm punch a hole in the roof of the bunkhouse where they were sheltered — abandoned, they allege, by their offshore oil industry employer as the hurricane bore down.

“I could not think of anything to do but to pray and to pray,” Decena, who court records indicate worked for the company for about four years, told The Associated Press.

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