I live on the water. The prospect of my yard dying in some way because of this is bad, especially because we do grow some food crops in the yard.
What I don’t think people outside our region realize, and I don’t think the guys at BP get it, is that this is our entire way of life thats about to die. For those who aren’t familiar with the world along I-10 we are more a region to ourselves than to our respective states and our whole culture is based around the proximity to the water.
We’re about to lose our entire culture for I don’t know how long. Hurricanes destroy property but that can always be rebuilt and it doesn’t change how we live. This is going to change how we live. That’s what scares me.
I agree with all of that. We moved to Navarre nearly 8 years ago because of the beauty and the pace of life on the emerald coast. Ivan destroyed our first house, but it didn’t make me love the area any less. That’s what insurance is for. I wonder if any insurance companies will pay claims for property damage caused by the oil? I haven’t heard any of the so-called experts discuss it. BP can’t possibly cover all of the costs of this disaster. The hit to our local economy could potentially destroy a lot of small businesses when the tourist dollars disappear.