Gulf Coast fears being forgotten like Haiti following disaster

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Sun Jul-18-10 11:10 AM
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Gulf Coast fears being forgotten like Haiti following disaster

http://www.examiner.com/x-5738-Political-Buzz-Examiner~y2010m7d18-Gulf-Coast-fears-being-forgotten-like-Haiti-following-disaster

Gulf Coast fears being forgotten like Haiti following disaster
July 18, 11:27

As almost every concerned citizen now knows BP has managed to cap the leak which was continually contributing to the Gulf oil spill disaster. While news of the capped leak is certainly welcome to the Gulf, it does create a new concern.

The media covered the Haitian earthquake incessantly in the weeks following that natural disaster. Americans were gripped by images of small children being saved from piles of rubble, and the ongoing crisis of he impoverished country. Americans donated billions through private organizations and the United States government pledged to send much more.

However, Haiti is now a distant memory in the minds of many Americans. The federal government (thanks to delays in Congress) has provided $0 out of the $1.32 billion pledged. Other countries like France, Canada, and Venezuela have similarly failed to provide the aid promised thus far. A certain amount of this inaction can be attributed to government inefficiency, but the fault also lies with the public. The government, as evidenced by the reactions to Pearl Harbor and 9/11, acts very quickly when the public demands it. On the other hand, public apathy frequently leads to governmental inaction. The media has certainly also played a role by all but abandoning the Haiti story in the last few months.

The Haitian example provides a cautionary tale for resident of the Gulf Coast. The fear is that without a gripping storyline involving a leak, the story will fade from the media spotlight and eventually become a distant memory. If the public forgets the Gulf Coast as it forgot Haiti, government and BP may stall in cleaning up the environmental mess left behind and repairing the economic damage done by the spill. The leak is capped, but the wounds of the Gulf Coast are still fresh, and will require many more years of treatment before being fully healed. The people of Haiti can speak all too well about the perils of associated with a lack of media attention.

Just one example,this story got little to zero attention, including here:
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/294767

Jul 16, 2010
Largest pelican-nesting area hit by oil, birds uncounted, may die

New Orleans - As oil giant BP prematurely celebrates the latest efforts at stopping its oil volcano in the Gulf of Mexico, disturbing news has emerged over how the US government tallies birds impacted by the disaster, in many cases, leaving them to die.

Biologists report oil has coated at least 300-400 pelicans along with hundreds of terns on Raccoon Island, the largest nesting area for seabirds along the Louisiana coast, signaling a sudden escalation in marine wildlife being destroyed by BP�s Gulf of Mexico calamity.

These numbers, however, may never make the official tally of oiled birds impacted by the catastrophe. The federal government only counts oiled birds that have been found dead or collected for rehabilitation. Oiled birds in the many nesting areas along the Gulf coast are typically left alone, uncounted in the official numbers that will ultimately help determine the fines, if any, that BP would be responsible for.

According to the Associated Press, http:http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8753579

the latest discovery of oiled birds was made on Raccoon Island during the past week by researchers from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Cornell is considered one of the nation's premier institutions for bird research.
Marc Dantzker, a biologist with Cornell, said 30 to 40 pelicans discovered by his group were covered in oil, �head to tail.� Many more had visible oil blotches on them. Dead birds were also discovered, although no count of them was available.

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