gulf of mexico

The dead zone is a problem rarely mentioned in national Gulf Coast discussions, and whether BP oil entered the sea food chain after their disaster is a discussion neither the federal government, nor BP would like to have. For those who live and work off of Gulf Coast seafood, frankly it's not the most desirable discussion either. But as with talk about ubiquitous drilling in the Gulf, it's a discussion that needs to be had. 

The anniversary of the country’s worst oil disaster came and went last week. There was a brief frenzy of media attention, a litany of speeches and promises by politicians, and emotional memorials  in honor of the 11 men who died in the Deepwater Horizon’s fiery explosion a year ago.

But for many in the Gulf struggling to regain their livelihoods, life is far from normal, the future far from certain. Even though one-year anniversaries are great for bringing people together to share their stories, their grieving and their hopes, it hasn’t stopped the dying.

I first met JJ Creppel last summer while standing in the checkout line of the Buras Dollar Store. It’s one of the few places in this Louisiana fishing town deep down in the bayou where you can buy basic groceries and milk. Nearly all the other stores were destroyed five years ago in the monster storm that roared through here and leveled this community of 5,000 people.

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