The Obama administration announced last week that it is safe to eat fish and shrimp caught in the 78 percent of federal waters in the Gulf that are now reopened to fishing. But many are still concerned about the levels of toxins in the water and the impact on marine life. Independent journalist Dahr Jamail
How Has it Come to This?
The scene is post-apocalyptic. Under a grey sky, two families play in the surf just off the beach in Grand Isle, Louisiana. To get to the beach, we walk past a red, plastic barrier fence that until very recently was there to keep people away from the oil-soaked area. Now, there are a few openings
Out of Sight, Out of Mind (Even when it’s not out of sight)
Story by Dahr Jamail Photography by Erika Blumenfeld Since BP announced that CEO Tony Hayward would receive a multi-million dollar golden parachute and be replaced by Bob Dudley, we have witnessed an incredibly broad, and powerful, propaganda campaign. A campaign that peaked this week with the US government, clearly acting in BP’s best interests, itself
Gulf Residents Likely Face Decades of Psychological Impact From BP’s Oil Disaster
Story by Dahr Jamail, Photography by Erika Blumenfeld, t r u t h o u t | Report While the devastating ecological impacts of BP’s oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico are obvious, the less visible but also long-lasting psychological, community and personal impacts could be worse, according to social scientists, psychologists and psychiatrists.
Our Complicity
Story by Dahr Jamail Photography by Erika Blumenfeld We rather be ruined than changed. We rather die in our dread, than climb the cross of the moment, and let our illusions die. -W.H. Auden, excerpted from “The Age of Anxiety” Not long ago we strolled along a beautiful white-sand beach in Orange Beach, Alabama, taking
What Happens Next?
Story by Dahr Jamail Photography by Erika Blumenfeld Recently we met with Captain Louis Skrmetta who runs Ship Island Excursions out of Gulfport, Mississippi. His grandfather came to the US from Croatia in 1904, and began working as an oyster fisherman, now an endangered endeavor. From that background arose the family business of ferrying people
Talking Gulf Coast Disaster on Democracy Now!
Dahr shares stories of his trip to the Gulf Coast with Amy Goodman and Sharif Abdel Kouddous. Dahr’s segment starts around 42:15 of this video.
Hell Has Come to South Louisiana
Story by Dahr Jamail Photography by Erika Blumenfeld Clint Guidry is a shrimper from Lafitte, Louisiana. As we sit together, he shows me a picture of his house with 18 inches of water in it as a result of Hurricane Ike in 2008. In his deep voice, he looks me in the eye and says,
Dahr Jamail Talks Gulf Spill on Raising Sand Radio
Dahr Jamail reports from the Gulf spill zone on how media is treated, how locals fare day-to-day, and how the future looks. Download MP3 (50MB)
Fending For Themselves
Story by Dahr Jamail Photography by Erika Blumenfeld We drive south on Louisiana Highway 55 towards Pointe-au-Chien. The two-lane road hugs a bayou, like most of the roads leading south into the marsh areas. Incredibly green, lush forest gives way to increasing areas of water the further south we venture, until the very road feels