Gazing down an Ocean Springs bayou, shot in April of 2005 by Mac
In April of 2005 I posted a short article on hidden hurricane damage in Ocean Springs, Mississippi from Katrina, reporting how:
Last Friday morning, April 13, I started driving west
through Gautier, Mississippi with the planned itinerary of hitting Ocean
Springs, then Biloxi, and on into Louisiana and New Orleans as I continued to
survey the state of reconstruction along the Gulf Coast after the horrific 2005
hurricane season. After reaching the city limits of Ocean Springs, I found
myself slowly meandering south, stopping to take shots along Beachview Drive as
I headed toward the nearby Gulf of Mexico, then wandering southwest along Lake
Mars Avenue and Seacliff Boulevard, roughly paralleling the coastline as I
went. Looking at my watch, it became obvious to me that, if I was going to do
justice to New Orleans, which I definitely had to reach this same day, I would
not have time to explore Biloxi too, so Biloxi, scene of the
hurled-like-toothpicks floating casinos, is on the list for my next trip.
It also became apparent to me, as I drove, that in a lot of these towns and
cities along the Gulf
Coast, the casual
observer or tourist is actually not going to see a lot of the hurricane damage
simply because it is hidden from view. The layout of Ocean Springs itself
interweaves between the coastline and the bayous, with much of the lingering
damage obscured by treelines, swamps and winding roads. So you have to take the
time to look, which I did in my own small way in. If I had spent the whole day
exploring Ocean Springs and interviewing people, who knows what else I would
have come across. Perhaps some of our OpEdNews.com readers who live in this
area will have their own stories to tell in the comments section after they
look at my brief photos. (source)
Now we have come full circle. Ocean Springs, slowly recovering from Katrina's wrath, has now been racked back up on the wheel of pain through the callousness and viciousness of giant oil conglomerate BP, which has unleashed an ongoing oil and chemical disaster in the Gulf. From the very beginning they have been trying to hide the extent of the oil flow as well as the vast damage their hubris has caused. To a great extent they are succeeding now in pulling the wool over America's and the world's eyes about the continuous damage being done along the Gulf through the control they exert in the media, government and even law enforcement. They also count on the fact that much of the damage is hidden, as with Katrina as I noted above, in the bayous, barrier islands and marshes along the Gulf Coast, areas well out of the public view for most citizens. So we must depend on independent reporters, journalists, photographers and just plain, concerned everyday folks to keep us informed.
Fortunately, one such individual has risen to the occasion in Ocean Spriongs. Her name is Lorrie Williams and she and her husband are crab fishermen in Ocean Springs who have decided NOT to sit idly by and watch marine life and human life being destroyed through the ill deeds of jaded corporations, government officials and individuals. She has been speaking out vociferously and compiling plentiful video evidence of the damage being done to America. Here are some of her videos below, starting with her latest capturing the sickening sight of oil and dispersant fouling the bayous of Ocean Springs:
Here is Lorrie in person testifying at the DMR meeting with fishermen in in Biloxi, Mississippi in early September:
And here is her three part interview with GRC (Ground Roots Connection) Radio:
(Click here for Part 1)
(Click here for Part 2)
(Click here for Part 3)Keep on truckin', Lorrie. America thanks you!
Old Glory flying above the remains of a house demolished by Katrina at Pascagoula by Mac