An Approaching Disaster

I remember the Exxon Valdez disaster in Alaska. Living in the Midwest at the time, it was a headline and an ecological tragedy that happened far away. We all saw the oil encased birds and black coastal rocks and we were, naturally, upset with Exxon and the drunk captain of the ship. All disasters are relative to your own backyard, I guess.

Now, our backyard is threatened. Many of the entries of this blog have revolved around the beach, the beach-goers and all the things that relate to the beach. We even had a close encounter with a gentle manatee last summer. The morning stingrays that come close to the water's edge for some reason, the sea shells, and the dolphins that we see out by the buoys. The tourist businesses, the fishing and commercial companies, the lives and jobs that depend on a healthy Gulf; the price to families, the environment and fishlife alike is beyond an arbitrary dollar estimate.

Yesterday, officials began the preparations to battle the gulf oil slick as far south as Sarasota, which is south of us. Other reports say we will be lucky and miss the conflagration but that the currents will wreck the Keys. Who knows, we'll see, but it saddens me to think that the white beaches and green seas may turn black.

I don't have any political rant: I don't know enough about off-shore rigs, but I do know we need oil to keep the nation moving. I'll leave that to the experts, politicians and activists. All I know is my back yard is about to be ruined, and for once, a tragedy is real.

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Flashback Friday

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Existing In BFE

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