Oil Spill Projected across Wide Swath of Gulf Coast

Below is the 24 hour trajectory map for the Gulf Oil Spill, with landfall across most of the northern Gulf Coast. Click HERE for the trajectory map as a PDF file.

June 18 - Oiled Grass

Below are some areas of marsh grass hit with oil.

June 18 - Flotilla of Response Vessels

Below you see a flotilla of response boats in the bays north of Grand Isle area. Many are shrimp boats converted to oil skimmer operations.

Below are several other odd assortments of ships being assembled, including several barges lashed together with suction vehicles on top.

June 17, 2010 - A Few Good Pictures

Small oil rigs in Fourchon

 Large flock of Roseate Spoonbills in small bay off Bayou Fourchon, protected by boom

Large areas inside passes from Gulf of Mexico protected by absorbent booms and barriers

Shoreline area protected by absorbent booms

Hot Hot Hot

In the mornings you run and seek shelter from rain storms. In the afternoon, you pray for one just for the brief moment of cool it provides by way of its wind and down draft.

(Clouds building before 10AM on Gulf coast)

Drilling Rigs

A couple of drilling rigs in Port Fourchon

Grand Isle Report

Well, good morning. It's another beautiful day on southern Louisiana. Today marks a week that I have been down here working.

There has been a lot of negative and inaccurate press about the work we are doing. It is a bit disheartening to the dedicated men & women, experts in their field, from all over the country, who have left behind the comforts of home & family, to help out.

While the Deepwater Horizon has pumped out far more oil than Exxon Valdez, this is a totally different situation. Whereas Exxon Valdez dumped all its oil all at once in a small area, the spill here is spreading throughout the Gulf and much of it has not impacted the coastline, YET. The potential for serious impacts exist, but at present I see good protection with booms and absorbent material, great coverage of area looking for wildlife.

Yesterday we only brought in a few birds. The number has been declining as the date of the last wave of oil recedes. I worry that complacency will cause a withdrawal of interest and support that erodes our numbers here, leaving an inadequate response team in place for when the "BIG OIL" hits. Perhaps there is. I'm not privy to any of that and don't have time to sit down and watch the news.

My other concern is that there needs to be a plan in place for massive rapid response should, or when, a large mass of oil comes ashore. What oil I have been seeing is fresh and unweathered. And I've heard some of the captains report that there is a large slick not too far offshore.