Kiln airport finds new role

KILN, Miss. - Stennis International Airport just outside Stennis Space Center has been transformed into a staging area for the eastern Gulf of Mexico for crews battling the oil spill. Flights have already dropped more than 53,000 gallons of oil dispersant to try to break up the oil on the water's surface. Ground crews at the airport pump more than 23,000 gallons of jet fuel a day to keep the aerial missions flying from dawn until dusk. Thousands of barrels of dispersant, trucks of giant plastic barrels and other equipment are arriving at the airport's hangars from all across the world. Responders decided to use the Hancock County airport because it is strategically located near the interstate and close to the Gulf. (Source: Sun Herald, 05/13/10)