Posted on 06/12/2010 1:51:31 PM PDT by commish
THe wife and I are spending the weekend in Orange Beach, AL celebrating 15 wonderful years of marriage, and I thought I would go ahead and update Freepers on the current oil situation.
I was truly hoping to see minimal impact, but unfortunately that is not the case. Don't get me wrong, the brilliant white sand beaches are still here, there is no oil smell in the air, and the sun is bright and beautiful; however the oil is here and the effects are everywhere.
The biggest effect however is not environemental, it is with the people. A palpable pall has settled over this area, with everyone we have encountered in a depressed and almost defeated mood. the beaches, while no where near empty, are ghost towns compared to past visits, and there are no waiting lines in the restaurants, very little traffic etc. The devestating effect to the local economy is extremely evident and it is written on the faces of everyone. it is truly heartbreaking to see this vibrant wonderful area basically brought to its knees.
Now, on to the oil. when we got here yesterday there was not muchoil evident, and this morning there were just scattered tar balls on the beach.
However as today progressed we noticed boat and aireal activity picking up, and a little after noon it was evident why. A large slick was visibly noticible just off shore and around 1:30 CT it bagan washing ashore in Orange Beach.
Below are pictures I have taken:
White Sand Beach, Orange Beach, AL - June 11, 2010:
Scattered Tar Balls, Early morning JUne 12:
Tar Balls, Orange Beach, Early morning June 12:
Large amount of tiny tarballs washing ashore, 11 Am June 12:
OIl washing ashore, 1 PM June 12:
Large oil amounts beginning to come ashore 1:30 PM June 12:
Large slick begins coming ashore, Orange Beach, Al, JUne 12, 2010, 1:30 PM:
Second larger slick just offshore, 2 PM, JUne 12, Containment vessels racing to intercept:
Large amounts of oil in water JUne 12, 2010, 2 PM;
Containment efforts, Orange Beach, Al, 3 PM Ct , June 12, 2010:
While the oil coming ashore today is in managable amounts and is being cleaned even as I type -- By my count, 32 vessels are in the water moving booms and skimming oil, and multiple Coast guard and other helicopters are flying up and down the beach. The fear is what is going to happen to these beaches when a Tropical system comes ashore later this summer.
I try not to over-react, and on previous threads have admonished a lot of people for that, but I have to say right now I am looking outside with tears in my eyes. The beaches and water can be cleaned in time, but it is the devestation on the faces of the locals that is completely heartbreaking.
Wow
this is so sad and sickening...
in 1994 on the whim I went to Alabama to see the Bama/Auburn game...I was 31 and single.....
I went five days early and stayed on the Gulf Shores- not knowing what to expect being as I was a NYer who spent a lot of time on the east coast of Florida and never once stepped foot in Alabama...I fell in love with the place- the beach, restaurants, people....
“Sigh”......thanks for the update.
The president will come and pick up the tar balls if you provide the camera
The beaches and water can be cleaned in time, but it is the devestation on the faces of the locals that is completely heartbreaking.
Even worse than the devastation experienced by people is the devastation experienced by the sealife and other wildlife.
I am not that far away from you. This really hurts me too.
Thanks for the pics.
ping
Gulf Coast ping
shhhhhhh, ROFL
Just this morning I was in the water trying to get pictures of the sting rays swimming up and down the beach, also took a couple shots of seagulls(UGH) begging for food. A couple kids were catching crabs in little nets, running up and scaring mom and then releasing them.
I don’t believe I’ll ever have the words to describe how I feel about this horrible disaster.
Thank you for taking the time to post this. It’s truly hard to imagine the magnitude of this disaster. My prayers for all the people hit so hard by this...
It’s unacceptable that this hasn’t been better managed, IMHO. They had the plans in place, allowances from the EPA and such for burning, but the gov’t sat on its hands for too long. It didn’t have to be this way - and that is what is so sad. The people affected haven’t done anything to deserve the hard times they are facing. We all heard the stories after Katrina - but the effects of this disaster are going to be felt through the ENTIRE Gulf Coast! Just devastating...
Prayers again for all the folks down there dealing with this. May God help them find hope, and a way to carry on.
I forgot to tell you Congratulations on your Anniversary! I pray for many more happy years for the two of you!
Thanks so much for your first hand report. I don’t want to “over-react” but I know all these businesses will not survive this irresponsible “accident” on BP’s and the government’s part.
BP was nailed for causing a refinery fire in Texas that killing workers and exposed citizens to toxic air due to neglegence. They also have another unsafe rig that could blow at any time and is reportedly leading oil - the Atlantis rig. The corporate culture there is a huge problem.
BP is a corporate menace. That is not “hysterical”. That is fact at this point based on their track record. I know the implications...but we need to shut down BP right now and look at their operations carefully before they kill anymore people and life in the gulf.
Thank you. :-)
I am continuing to take pictures, and will post more later or tomorrow if things worsen (or hopefully if they get better).
Real sad, and disgusting.
I really appreciate you posting this information, your impressions and the photos. I have been web surfing today to try and get a clear picture of what’s happening down there. The MSM outlets are always so dramatic and don’t seem to paint a realistic picture. The picture you paint is very sobering but not catastropic....as of yet. Thanks again. I encourage other Freepers in the area post reports as this thing develops
“I don’t believe I’ll ever have the words to describe how I feel about this horrible disaster.”
Or about that POS Muzzie impostor fag*ot in the WH that sat and continues to sit on his worthless butt doing absolutely nothing!
That’s just below Foley, correct? Foley’s where wifey and I spent our 30th anniversary around this time last year.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.