It’s hard to put a smile on our faces and head straight out to Jazz Fest today, while thousands if not millions of wildlife and hundreds of miles of water are being destroyed by the horrendous oil spill off the coast of Mexico.
Photo by Chris Graythen for www.nydailynews.com
The oil has now reached the coast of Louisiana, and the slick is 130 miles long and 70 miles wide. On the local news channels, they are now warning that the toxic smell is so harmful to people that it may cause significant eye irritation, and be especially detrimental to people suffering from asthma. Imagine how this is affecting the wildlife, living and breathing in these waters! This is also a great blow to the fishing industry in Louisiana, as the seafood industry here brings in 2.4 billion dollars – so we are talking about a big economic blow to a state that’s already suffered great losses since Katrina. We are now speaking with people locally, and they are saying this spill can have catastrophic effects, as this tragedy unfolds. Contaminated seafood, dead sea life washing up on the shores, humans becoming affected by the hazardous air toxicity, the list goes on. Although President Obama is headed to the Gulf Coast tomorrow, there is little that he can do to stop the equivalent of 5000 barrels of oil a day, spreading like a cancer and destroying everything in its path.
More to come on how you can get involved and volunteer!
