Beyond the political statements, what are the facts? Have you heard?

[skip fox]

What have you heard?

Yesterday they said that the leak may already be (or might soon become) six to ten times the estimated 5,000 barrels (or 20,000 gallons) per day that they had originally figured. That's 30,000-50,000 barrels (or 1,200,000-2,000,000 gallons) per day.

This is terrible news for the nation but especially in southern Louisiana.

Environmentally: Obviously devastating to bird (they a sting as I write), reptile, and fish species, but also mammal (swamp deer) and rodent. Oysters at the bottom might be flatlined (gone).

Economically: Beyond fishing/shrimping/etc., we have crayfish, cattle, cane, and rice, but I cannot imagine how this area will survive in the way it has without The Gulf.

Lafayette, LA.

[WeDidIt]

1. Worst case scenario is an Exxon Valdez size event every TWO DAYS!

And it could last for months.

What pisses me off the most is we were originally told the wellhead was not leaking.

[jaxx]

2. Do you think it's possible they thought it wasn't leaking?

[WeDidIt]

4. I took the Coast Guard admiral at her word.

Stupid me.

[jaxx]

5. Nothing stupid about evolving information as the situation happens.

Someone would need to be in the genius category to walk into a big explosion like happened and know immediately what would transpire and exactly how it would be contained. They used the conventional methods, and they haven't worked. Now the results of the blow out are huge and growing. If you see that genius, let me know.

[hatrack]

3. The real worst-case is what happens to the vegetation in what's left of the coastal wetlands

If that goes - especially if a storm blows the oil into the freshwater wetlands - then it's pretty much game over for substantial areas of southern LA.

The vegetation is pretty much all that's holding the land in place, and the delta's already sinking, so it would only speed the process further.

[Karenina]

6. Hurricane season coming soon to a theater near you...

:cry:

[hatrack]

7. 29 days until the start, IIRC

.

[skip fox]

8. Now they're thinking it may be five times worse.

25,000 barrels or 1,000,000 gallons.

[skip fox]

9. Chemical dispersants maybe as toxic as the oil itself.

n/t