I usually don't blog about anything outside the writing or reading sphere, but I'm a resident of the Gulf Coast and I wanted to dedicate today's post to what's happening here. It is amazing to me that one mistake can lead to so much destruction. Since moving to the coast 15 years ago, oil rigs have always been a part of the horizon (as seen below). If at any time in these 15 years someone would have told me something could wreak such devastation, I would have pegged it on the weather. Hurricanes are a part of life and I've seen firsthand what happens when a storm like Ivan or Katrina hits a gulf town. But this disaster is man-made and not only is the economy and so many people that I know's very livelihood in grave peril, the marine wildlife that is so much a part of the Gulf might not ever be the same. It's been a scary week, but I know the coming one will bring extreme levels of sadness and anger. Most sobering of all to me is that my children may not know the natural beauty of their home like I did because of circumstances that could have and should have been prevented. *Note: the picture of this rig was taken by my sister from the Gulf Coast shoreline, less than twenty miles from my home.
If you are a southern or Gulf Coast resident, the call has already gone out. Please think about or at least spread the word on the clean-up effort. Here are further details from the Mobile Press-Register:
MOBILE, Ala -- Calling all volunteers.
The Mobile Bay National Estuary Program, Mobile BayKeeper and the Alabama Coastal Foundation are collecting contact information from individuals who are interested in assisting with cleanup efforts along the Alabama coast should oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill reach the state's shores.
"Right now volunteers are not being deployed but we want to be prepared and ready to assist when asked to help by Unified Command," said Roberta Swann of the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program.
People interested in adding their names to a list of volunteers should contact one of the organizations listed below to assist in coordinated cleanup activities. Contact information should include: name, street address, phone, email address and a list of any available resources such as boats, plastic bags or gloves.
Alabama Coastal Foundation 251-990-6002 Info@joinacf.org
Mobile Bay NEP 251-431-6409 mbnep@mobilebaynep.com
Mobile Baykeeper 251-433-4229 callaway@mobilebaykeeper.org
In closing, here's a link to my favorite part of the Gulf Coast - Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, Alabama. Check out the beach photo gallery and keep the residents and wildlife of Lousisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida in your thoughts this coming week. Thank you!
