Gulf Shore Cleanup - First Hand

During a recent visit to Mobile, AL I had the opportunity to see first hand the volunteer and paid "clean up the oil" efforts going on along the Gulf Shore. The view from Orange Beach, while hot, sticky and bright, was not as grim as I had anticipated. I'm not sure what I envisioned, but it might have been more dramatic - like dead oil slicked wildlife washed up on the shore, a beach devoid of people, tar like patches floating on the water. And the fact that I didn't see these things doesn't mean that this isn't a very serious problem. The beach was definitely more empty than it should be in this peak season. There was an odd slick of orange on the water. And the people in Hazmat suits dragging things out of the water definitely was not normal. But I was heartened to note that despite the downtrodden economy that now is even more depressed thanks to a general lack of tourism because of no swim advisories, the concern and willingness to help in the community, with projects both large and small, seems to be paying off.
My friend, Irwin, lives in that area and his take on it was one of sympathy for those living along the coast who derive their only sources of income from the water...it's these people who are the most affected. The shrimpers, the hotel and rental agencies, and interestingly even the wedding trade as people who originally had planned for destination weddings remove to alternative locations, canceling the services they scheduled many months in advance. But the overall feeling was one of bonding together in the face of adversity. It's hard to imagine one person, or one group of people, making a difference in something so devastating. But small, local efforts when added together are a force to be reckoned with. And in the end, every little bit helps.

Irwin told me that the water is normally the color (as seen above).