Sense of doom as spill balloons: ""It will be on the East Coast of Florida in almost no time"

[Bluebear]

VENICE, La. — A sense of doom settled over the American coastline from Louisiana to Florida on Saturday as a massive oil slick spewing from a ruptured well kept growing, and experts warned that an uncontrolled gusher could create a nightmare scenario if the Gulf Stream carries it toward the Atlantic.

President Barack Obama planned to visit the region Sunday to assess the situation amid growing criticism that the government and oil company BP PLC should have done more to stave off the disaster. Meanwhile, efforts to stem the flow and remove oil from the surface by skimming it, burning it or spiking it with chemicals to disperse it continued with little success.

"These people, we've been beaten down, disaster after disaster," said Matt O'Brien of Venice, whose fledgling wholesale shrimp dock business is under threat from the spill.

"They've all got a long stare in their eye," he said. "They come asking me what I think's going to happen. I ain't got no answers for them. I ain't got no answers for my investors. I ain't got no answers."

He wasn't alone. As the spill surged toward disastrous proportions, critical questions lingered: Who created the conditions that caused the gusher? Did BP and the government react robustly enough in its early days? And, most important, how can it be stopped before the damage gets worse?

The Coast Guard conceded Saturday that it's nearly impossible to know how much oil has gushed since the April 20 rig explosion, after saying earlier it was at least 1.6 million gallons — equivalent to about 2 1/2 Olympic-sized swimming pools. The blast killed 11 workers and threatened beaches, fragile marshes and marine mammals, along with fishing grounds that are among the world's most productive.

Even at that rate, the spill should eclipse the 1989 Exxon Valdez incident as the worst U.S. oil disaster in history within about a week. But a growing number of experts warned that the situation may already be much worse.


http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/top/all/6985404.html

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. First the Ixtoc I... back in the neolithic

then the Exxon Valdez, and now this.

Perhaps people will finally figure this out... we need to develop new ways (that are clean) to produce our energy. By the way, this is also a result of... peak oil. Deep water rigs are now exploiting places that they dared not go to before.

[mattvermont]

2. Imagine the entire gulf

as a modern day Le Brea tar pit. Cue the saber tooth tigers

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. It will not quite get that bad, unless there is

more oil than they thought there was there.

But a few archeologists...oh in the far future, will wonder what happened.

Or perhaps La Brea was an ancient accident...

:-)

I know bad, quite gallows, sense of humor.

That said, it will be BAD ENOUGH... and I ain't eating any Gulf shrimp I guess for the rest of my life... and that will hurt people.

That said, it will recover... but far longer than my lifetime, or a few more lifetimes.

[chill_wind]

3. Uggg-- painful and poignant quote:

"These people, we've been beaten down, disaster after disaster," said Matt O'Brien of Venice, whose fledgling wholesale shrimp dock business is under threat from the spill.

"They've all got a long stare in their eye," he said. "They come asking me what I think's going to happen. I ain't got no answers for them. I ain't got no answers for my investors. I ain't got no answers."

Bad. Very, very bad.

[Bluebear]

10. Heartbreaking.

[northernlights]

5. holy crap

"BP has not said how much oil is beneath the Gulf seabed Deepwater Horizon was tapping, but a company official speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the volume of reserves, confirmed reports that it was tens of millions of barrels."

How dare they not tell us how much effing oil is potentially going to destroy our coast, possibly travel the gulf stream and kill even more. Who the goddam motherfuck do they think they are?!? what do they think, that they motherfuck own the world?!?! :grr: :grr: :grr:

[cap]

8. search on youtube

there is a French video called We f--- the world with GW Bush and company. It about says it all

[texanwitch]

12. What you said.

I live 50 miles from the Gulf Coast.

Money and power it buys means more to these scum then the earth itself.

I hate them more the words can say.

[kestrel91316]

6. Drill, baby, DRILL!!!!!!

[Liberal_in_LA]

7. any other countries affected?

[Electric Monk]

11. yet or soon?

http://www.lmgtfy.com/?q=gulf+of+mexico

[nadinbrzezinski]

15. Mexico is bracing for impact

it really depends on currents and wind.

[SPedigrees]

9. First I thought it was a typo,

aka east to the gulf side of FL. But nope they are speculating it could reach beaches on Florida's east coast. That's chilling!

[monmouth]

13. Wow, Palm Beachers (Rush included) will be pi$$ed (Sarc) This is really sad..n/t

[stevedeshazer]

14. Dude, this is horrifying.

I think it's much worse than we're even being told right now.

My only hope is that this ends the offshore drilling debate for good.

[Canuckistanian]

16. The EAST coast?

So that means the Florida Keys, CUBA and probably ALL the major islands along the Gulf?

Per the article:

"The Deepwater Horizon well is at the end of one branch of the Gulf Stream, the famed warm-water current that flows from the Gulf of Mexico to the North Atlantic. Several experts said that if the oil enters the stream, it would flow around the southern tip of Florida and up the eastern seaboard."

[roamer65]

17. Add in the Bahamas as well.

They're right next next to the Gulf Stream.

[Bluebear]

21. indeed

[Bluebear]

22. :nodding:

[roamer65]

18. If the remainder of the wellhead is blown off....estimates are for 2.000.000 gallons/day.

[Bluebear]

19. --

:scared:

[troubledamerican]

20. Get ready for $4+ gasoline gouging

[morningglory]

23. Emer. Mgmt here in FL panhandle said feel free to come down

to the water's edge and scrub birds with a toothbrush. Their solution, i guess.