From all this oil to nothing in less than a month? Might just be too good to be true.
Something that may go on to become one of the more regrettable moves that the Obama Administration has made comes out of the absolute rush to bury the negative story that has become the Deepwater Horizon oil spill from the second that the cap of the spill held straight on through this day and beyond. The trumpeting has been loud and clear:
The White House announced Wednesday that a “vast majority” of the oil in the Gulf has dissipated or been collected, following the plugging of the BP Deepwater Horizon well — but environmental groups are skeptical.
As officials were monitoring a thus-far successful “static kill” of the undersea wellhead, the administration responded, ironically enough, with a leak to The New York Times: a new government analysis claiming that only 26 percent of the estimated 4.9 million-barrel spill still remains intact in the Gulf of Mexico.
The chorus from rational thinkers: Where did the oil go?
A tide of solid oil washes ashore in Dalian, China (image from The Big Picture)
The irresistible luxuries of a life comfortable, filled with needs for wants that mere decades ago we never knew we had, continue to lead us down a path of pillaging and environmental destruction. The pace is slower than water torture in our eyes, but geologically similar to driving full-speed toward a brick wall. Recent efforts of green movements translate to tapping the breaks, but a glance at the headlines show that the other foot is still slammed on the accelerator, to the floor.
Our latest example comes from China. The northeastern Chinese port of Dalian is the sight of an unfolding environmental disaster. Explosions in two pipelines at the port on the night of the 16th triggered a major fire at first, and a spill of oil into the sea after the fact. The initial details of the story immediately bring back memories of another explosion-leading-to-disaster, that being the Deepwater Horizon oil rig and the resulting Gulf of Mexico disaster. The Dalian spill is a paltry 170 square miles, whereas the Deepwater Horizon disaster is 2,500 square miles on the surface and an untold number of cubic miles when oil at varying ocean depths is taken into account.
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill continues to rage under the Gulf of Mexico’s waters, with every effort that BP has made to stem the flow of the leak seemingly either failing miserably or falling far short of self-set expectations. The media coverage of this disaster has been relentless and ongoing – as it should be. Typically when “gulf” and “disaster” are mentioned in the same sentence, a hurricane has just struck somewhere. In some extraordinarily twisted sense, a hurricane would probably be better than what is happening to the Gulf right now. At least when a hurricane strikes there is a beginning, a middle, and an end. The coverage dies out over time because the initial disaster is over, the phases of work being done transfer to recovery and rebuild, and time marches on.
While the Deepwater Horizon oil spill will too have a beginning, a middle, and an end, the sad truth that we may not even be half way through the initial disaster – the spilling of the oil – warrants the coverage given, and the coverage that will continue to be given to it – even if it brings down a political party in elections to come this fall.
An interesting trend is also being exposed by the increased coverage, though: media blackouts. Apparently BP has the ability to usurp the laws of a country it isn’t even based in, and can do so with an all too small amount of backlash. It’s all a part of the only successful campaign they seem to be waging as of late – a PR war.
A bird fights the heavy oil on the shores of Louisiana (from Boston.com's "The Big Picture")
Oil continues to spew into the Gulf, this screencap from 13:56 on June 6th – after BP CEO Tony Haywood said a "majority" of the oil was being captured.
The Transocean-built and BP-owned Deepwater Horizon oil spill has been gushing large amounts of oil into the Gulf of Mexico since its start on Earth Day, April 22nd. Worst-case scenario estimates state that the leak is spilling 100,000 barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico per day – up until recent days where the latest attempt to divert some of the oil to the surface in a controlled manner was yielding some results. According to the CEO of British Petroleum, Tony Hayward, the latest cap attempt is capturing 10,000 barrels of oil per day now – which represents up to 10% of the worst case scenario and 83% of the estimate put forward by the USGS – 12,000 barrels of oil per day. Mr. Hayward is understandably trying to push the positive narrative of this as hard as he can – since his very job may be on the line:
ON BARATARIA BAY, La. – A containment cap fitted onto a leaking well in the Gulf of Mexico is capturing 10,000 barrels of oil per day, BP Chief Executive Tony Hayward said Sunday.
Hayward, the subject of speculation that he may be forced out of his position due to the political fallout from the environmental disaster, also told the BBC that he had strong support from BP’s board.
“The containment cap is producing around 10,000 barrels of oil a day to the surface which is being processed on the surface,” he said.
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Asked what proportion that represented of the total oil leaking, Hayward said: “At the moment it’s difficult to say but we would expect it to be the majority, probably the vast majority of the oil.”
Whatever “there, I fixed it!” narrative Mr. Hayward may be interested in pushing, the legacy of his company and his company’s oil spill will live on far past his tenure, whether that meets its end by this disaster or any future event. Even if the oil stopped flowing tomorrow, the legacy of the Deepwater Horizon – in pure physical effects, nevermind those of social or policy – are sure to live on for decades. If America’s last major oil disaster – 1989′s Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska – is used as a measuring stick, the effects might still be visible on the shoreline straight through the start of the 2030s.
Erring on the side of reality, this photo from Greenpeace quickly hit the nail on the head as to what the Deepwater Horizon incident really is
Of all days – Earth Day – and of all situations – during a celebration of their own safety record – the oil rig Deepwater Horizon punctured a pocket of methane gas thousands of feet below the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Within seconds the pocket of gas rushed up the pipes, straight past safety valves put in place to prevent such things, and expanding with the lowering of pressure as it approached the surface. Once there, it ignited, destroying the rig, killing eleven workers, and eventually slipped below the horizon of the Gulf of Mexico, leaving behind a steadily increasing pool of oil to float across the waters in whichever way prevailing winds and currents dictate.
As the proponents of such catchy schemes as “drill, baby! drill!” fell silent over the next few days, the search for answers began almost as quickly as the gallons gushed from the breaks in the well. Oddly enough apparently one of BP’s top priorities were to make sure that pot wasn’t involved:
Behind the table was a row of portable toilets. And as the crew members approached, each was handed a cup for a mandatory drug test. The search for an explanation would begin with them. That search continues.
As that ‘search’ goes on, I am sure that the company in charge of this mess – British Petroleum – will do its best to diligently find the cause and to do whatever they can to ignore the reality they set for their selves, the reality they lobbied for.
UN forces patrolling Port-au-Prince in the aftermath of the January 12 quake
On January 12th of this year, a 7.0 earthquake all but destroyed the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince, killing an estimated 230,000 people and left an additional million homeless. Aid from around the world was announced and has since begun to pour into the devastated island nation. Amongst all the aid pledged was a promise of some $379 million from the United States. As has occurred in response to countless disasters in the past, the United States has offered to put its immense resources and wealth to work for those who are less fortunate because in the end (in addition to any medium or long term political goals it may also accomplish) it is the right thing to do.
A little more than six weeks later, an 8.8 earthquake struck the Pacific Rim nation of Chile. Being centered further under ground, much further away from a multi-million-populated urban center, and occurring in a country that actually had building codes, the death toll was much lower – perhaps under 500 people. As the first images from the quake region were being broadcast internationally, President Obama was once again front and center at the cameras, pledging that America would respond in whatever way it could, depending on the need. With the absence of a devastating death toll or a flattened capital city, as of the current writing the largest American commitment to the area has been the setting up of a field hospital in Angol, Chile.
Somewhere between the initial impact of the Haitian earthquake and the Chilean quake (as whatever ‘it’ is, ‘it’ was in full swing by then) a curious attitude toward aid to disaster-effected regions began to rise, almost a Oh no, we have to spend more money now to help out poor people? from certain segments of American society. Ironically enough, the segments that it arose from were that of the conservative wings of America, and they had once again formulated and came up with arguments that would defy logic and boggle the mind because, in the event anyone had yet to figure this out by now, everything – every last little thing in the world – is a fair-game political football. Even helping out your fellow human.
Quake aftermath: Burning building in Concepción, Chile
Not even two months since the last major earthquake disaster, the Western hemisphere is waking up to another devastating earthquake, this time in the country of Chile. The estimated magnitude is 8.8, and a tsunami as high as fifteen feet has been generated. From the BBC:
The quake struck at 0634 GMT about 115km (70 miles) north-east of the city of Concepcion and 325km south-west of the capital, Santiago.
President Michelle Bachelet declared a “state of catastrophe” in affected areas and appealed for calm.
People are moving to higher ground on Easter Island amid fears of a tsunami. Alerts are in place across the Pacific.
Tsunami warnings have been issued for Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand, Central America and Pacific island nations.
Santiago airport has been closed and all flights cancelled until further notice, airline officials say. Flights are being diverted to Mendoza in Argentina.
Pictures are beginning to come in from the scene of the destruction. This disaster may not be over yet, however, as a tsunami has been generated that may be spreading across the Pacific ocean as we speak. Tsunami warnings are in effect for the U.S. state of Hawaii, and alerts are up for the coastlines of Japan, Russia, New Zealand, and Australia. The wave is expected to begin impacting Hawaii around 11:20am local time (4:20pm U.S. eastern time)
Tide data for Hilo, Hawaii:
8:54am (1:54pm EST) low tide: 0.04ft
~11:19am (4:19pm EST) arrival of first Tsunami wave
2:30pm (7:30pm EST) high tide: 1.95ft
8:30pm (1:30am EST) low tide: -0.41ft
Tide data for Honolulu, Hawaii:
3:13am (8:13am EST) high tide: 2.2ft
9:55am (2:55pm EST) low tide: -0.21ft
~11:19am (4:19pm EST) arrival of first Tsunami wave
3:32pm (8:32pm EST) high tide: 1.18ft
9:15pm (2:15am EST) low tide: -0.28ft
Earthquake scales being what they are, this quake is somewhere in the neighborhood of 800x more powerful than the 7.0 earthquake that rocked Haiti in January. There will be more on this story later.
Residents wander through one of the many destroyed streets in Port-au-Prince, Haiti (Reuters)
…American politics: they deliver.
In yesterday’s post I mentioned that noted religious man/serial nutcase, Pat Robertson, suggested that the 7.0 earthquake that destroyed Port-au-Prince, Haiti on Tuesday evening was in fact God’s revenge for Haiti doing a deal with the devil that involved Napoleon III… or something along those lines.
Today the members of the fringe’s fringe’s fringe continued to out their selves in an attempt to keep pushing that “can you really be that pre-programmed to hate?” bar to further dizzying levels when viewed from the perspective of the rest of us normal folk. The latest member to step up to the plate? Rush Limbaugh.
Save your wallets, Haiti’s lack of ability to have a government as successful as other western nations can be tied directly into the citizens of that country not deserving the generous aid of Americans.
In the face of utter devastation across Haiti following a huge earthquake, conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh took to the airwaves yesterday to blast President Obama for his response to the crisis.
The disaster enables Mr. Obama to highlight his “compassionate” and “humanitarian” credentials and to “boost his credibility with the black community,” Limbaugh said.
So, as you can see, caring for Haiti is really a ploy to solidify a base that he won the support of nearly 90% of in the 2008 election – African-Americans. Mr. Limbaugh seems to be out on his own entirely on this one as far as Republicans in Congress are concerned:
“We appreciate President Obama’s immediate response to this catastrophic tragedy, and stand ready to assist in any way,” House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) said in a statement. “In this pressing time of need, I know that the good faith and generosity of our citizens will no doubt help. Our Government and the American people prepared to do all that we can provide assistance, comfort and resources to the people of Haiti and their families.”
One of the lucky to be saved
That’s a bit of low hanging fruit that you can’t afford to not take, no matter the party you are in. Well, unless you speak into a gold-plated microphone daily.
A seriously damaged national port. An already swamped airport. Hospitals in shambles. A homeless president. No fuel. A capital city without phone service or electricity.
As military and rescue teams began to stream in Thursday from the U.S. and other countries, veterans of past disasters say the grim realities of the Haiti earthquake set it apart from many other calamities, including the 2004 tsunami that devastated communities around the Indian Ocean, killing an estimated quarter million people.
“There are a lot of dimensions that make this an especially complicated situation,” said Steve Hollingworth, chief operating officer at the Atlanta-based relief group CARE.
Haiti’s almost nonexistent government and its battered infrastructure are among the top challenges that will plague relief efforts in coming days and weeks, aid veterans say. Also high on their lists: the country’s extreme poverty and history of violence.
“When a country’s capital city is decimated, you lose a lot in terms of staging and organization,” said Randy Martin, head of global emergency operations at Mercy Corps International.
That last line is the most important and most key. Though it’s not getting quite the attention that it should just yet, it is becoming very apparent that Haiti has no effective national government to speak of right now. This earthquake accomplished, in essence, a decapitation attack on the Haitian government, leaving what remains behind to fend for itself. The United Nations claims control as a part of their mission there, but their compound was also heavily damaged with over 100 of their own personal unaccounted for. The aid is beginning to get there, but there is no functioning central authority to direct it all. One will have to be established in the near term for the mission to help save as many lives as possible, and one will have to remain in place to help prevent Haiti from becoming an anarchist state along the lines of Somalia. Help is on the way, though…
At the White House, President Obama said the U.S. was mounting “one of the largest relief efforts in our recent history,” and announced $100 million in initial funds for the humanitarian mission.
Exactly the start of what is needed, as we watch the after-effects playing out of a second major city in the western hemisphere destroyed in the past five years.
Moments after the 7.0 quake, smoke and dust rise from crumbled buildings in Port-au-Prince, Haiti (c/o Boston.com)
“Disastrous” does not even begin to come close to the apparent situation on the ground in Haiti’s destroyed capital of Port-au-Prince. The Prime Minister of the country, Jean-Max Bellerive, took to the airwaves in a live interview with CNN shortly after noon eastern today, saying that he fears the death toll in Haiti could exceed 100,000 people – just over 1% of the national population of 9.8 million. Using the USGS’ population exposure map, some 4.28m people were in areas that experienced “strong” or worse shaking – giving the quake a mortality rate of at least 2.33% – and we’re just getting started.
No body counts have begun though, as perhaps tens of thousands of people lay buried beneath rubble still alive – joined by tens of thousands of others who lay buried beneath the rubble and have already died.
Officials fear more than 100,000 people have died as a result of Tuesday’s 7.0-magnitude earthquake in Haiti.
The capital, Port-au-Prince, “is flattened,” said Haiti’s consul general to the U.N., Felix Augustin, who said he believed more than 100,000 people were dead. Hospitals are gone, and medical supplies and heavy equipment are desperately needed, he said.
The country’s prime minister said the death toll could be in the hundreds of thousands.
“I hope that is not true, because I hope the people had the time to get out,” Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive told CNN.
President Rene Preval said he heard reports of death tolls ranging from 30,000 to 100,000 — but he said the true toll is not yet known.
Rescue operations continued around the clock
A robust relief effort is underway from other powers in the Western Hemisphere including :
Brazil: $15m in aid & 28 tonnes of supplies (food, water, etc)
United States: Deployment of USNS Comfort, 2,000 marines to assist in ongoing UN peacekeeping mission, several coast guard ships, potential deployment of 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit
If there are any bright sides, and truly there are rather few at this point, the weather is expected to be clear and calm through the rest of the week which should help any relief efforts upcoming get underway without the fear of potential mudslides from the newly exposed sides of hills caused by landslides during the quake.
As time goes on, more so in this case than others, the international commitment will need to be maintained at a higher level than would otherwise be expected – including the involvement as troops for peacekeepers. While the members from the Haitian government are alive, their ability to functionally govern at this moment in time has to be seriously called into question. Haiti was at-best a state limping along when it came to stability, and at this moment the Haitian government has control in name only. UN peacekeepers away from Port-au-Prince are the only serious security force present in the country, aside from still-functioning members of the Haitian national police force.
In a couple of other side notes that I might get into at a later time: kudos to CNN for acting like a real news network and giving the story the breaking coverage that it deserved. I was floored to see CNN covering a major disaster at the same time that Fox News was fellating itself over their new acquisition of Sarah Palin, and MSNBC fellating their anger about Fox News fellating itself over their new acquisition of Sarah Palin. Something far worse, though: the ineptitude of people quite literally knowing no bounds, noted religious nutcase Pat Robertson is already out saying that something something pact with the devil caused this:
(See Boston.com for more images from the quake aftermath)
Just before 5:00pm eastern time this evening, a major earthquake (USGS: 7.0) struck 10 miles away from the center of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. There is little to no official media contact with the area right now but it is assumed damage will be extreme due to poor construction and dense population, and the death toll is likely to be high. A tsunami watch was issued but later canceled as one did not develop. Via social media, pictures are already starting to stream in from the disaster zone.
Screenshot of the Picfog stream on the Haiti Earthquake
There is sure to be more about this in the near future.
Update: Some of the images coming in from the world of social media…
Update: Video taken moments after the quake completed show Port-au-Prince shrouded in dust, conceivably from the number of simultaneous collapsed buildings and landslides. The comment at the end of the video sums up what must be the feeling there: the world is coming to an end…
