How Will This Affect Me?

 If Sunrise Foods International succeeds in its effort to develop this grain terminal and reindustrialize our community, residents of Arabi, the Lower 9th Ward, and the surrounding area will be forced to live with the consequences for years to come. Impacts will include:

  • Air pollution: The Sunrise grain terminal will introduce grain dust to the neighborhood, affecting an area that covers most of the Lower 9th Ward, Arabi, and even the West Bank with disease-causing dust. Activities at the terminal will also involve diesel fumes from grain trains and ships.
  • Noise pollution: This project will involve heavy industrial activities and equipment, including conveyor belts, unloading vessels, and freight trains passing as close as fifteen feet away from homes. Because Norfolk Southern does not want the added expense of additional safety measures on their outdated rail lines, these trains will be required to blast their horns four times per crossing at each of the twenty-four crossings in the neighborhood.
  • Environmental hazards: Grain terminals carry a risk of rodent infestations, and grain dust is an explosion hazard. Sunrise Foods International has yet to produce plans for mitigating these hazards – and a plan is no guarantee.
  • Danger to children and pedestrians: This project will rehabilitate nearly two miles of disused rail in our community, including rail that runs through the center of the Arabi Arts District and down the middle of Alabo Street. Active rail running through our neighborhood creates risk of serious injury or death for young children and pedestrians.
  • Trains on our streets: Beyond the air and noise pollution and the danger to residents, the trains will bring additional traffic to the area, with delays at each of the rail crossings many times per day. Each car that goes to the terminal will cross St Claude at least six times.
  • Delays to emergency services: The presence of trains will not only cause increased traffic in general – it specifically comes with the risk of increased delays to emergency services.
  • Reduction of property values: The presence of freight trains has been shown to decrease property values by up to 7% for residential properties within 750 feet of the rail line. This translates to a loss of up to $15 million for residents of the area.
  • Loss of green space: This project will eliminate more than a half mile of levee access between Andry and Delery Streets, and will cut off pedestrian access between Arabi and Holy Cross.

Is any part of this acceptable?

 

If you feel that these impacts have no place in our community, consider doing what you can to help support our efforts to stop Sunrise Foods International in its tracks.