NEW ORLEANS- Capt. Roger Laferriere, Louisiana Incident Commander for the Deepwater Horizon Response, has returned to California to resume his role as Commander of Sector Los Angeles/Long Beach after a 60-day deployment. Capt. James Hanzalik, the 8th District Chief of Response has assumed the role of Incident Commander.
Capt. Laferriere aggravated an existing medical condition, which required him to depart unexpectedly a few weeks earlier than his planned rotation date.
“His extraordinary efforts since May 22 culminated in an unprecedented response to this spill,” said Rear Adm. Paul Zukunft, Federal On-Scene Coordinator. “While in Louisiana, he fought tirelessly alongside 1,175 U.S. Coast Guard members and 41,000 total responders from across the nation to combat the environmental impacts of the oil spill and help restore the way of life to the people of Louisiana. We are pleased to have Capt. James Hanzalik join in this monumental response effort and continue the fight as the Incident Commander for the state of Louisiana.”
