First-Person: Assisting in the Gulf Coast Clean-up

Covington, La. -- I've been employed as a disaster recovery worker in Louisiana for the past five years, so the Gulf of Mexico oil spill hits very close to home with me, both professionally and geographically. Now that hurricane season has arrived, residents live in fear of not only the re-occurrence of flooding, but flooding with oil damage as well.

If this oil is brought inland due to high winds and water inundation, our homes could suffer major damage. Damage that neither the insurance companies nor the residents have experienced or are prepared for.

I've worked in the recovery efforts for Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav, and Ike. Currently, I am assisting in the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program efforts in Louisiana to elevate all homes affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Quite a few of our clients live directly on the Gulf Coast and are in fear of having to re-locate. Other clients of ours are assisting in the recovery efforts in Hopedale, La. I've had to have documents notarized and made a trip out to Hopedale to meet one of our clients. Upon arriving, one cannot escape the overwhelming smell from the spill. Also, people are running around like an army of ants, all determined to assist in whatever area is required of them.

Knowing this hurricane season could inundate our homes with the oil, I am inclined to move my family to a safer location. On the other hand, working as a disaster recovery employee, I am compelled to remain and assist in any capacity that I can.

With the oil from the broken well being only 40 miles from Louisiana's coast, it seems to get closer each day. Recent news has reported that oil is creeping into Lake Pontchartrain, one of New Orleans' main seafood supplies.

Fishing activity, both recreational and professional, have been shut down in a majority of areas along the coast. Keeping this sacred seafood pantry free of oil is top on federal officials' list, but each day it seems to be an impossible feat. Additionally, it seems vacations along the Gulf Coast are being put on hold and/or canceled. In prime vacationing season in Florida and Alabama, it seems vacationers are reluctant to invest in a vacation due to the scare of the oil nearing the shore.

On a positive note, my boss, who is also a musician in his free time, assisted in the production of the recent Gulf Aid Benefit Concert, a nonprofit corporation established in response to what has been deemed the largest oil spills in history.

Gulf Aid was a concert in which all proceeds went to raising funds to preventing the oil from destroying our wetlands and providing financial aid to those fishermen and their families whose jobs were affected by the oil spill. The hour-long concert featured Lenny Kravitz, John Legend, Ani Difranco, and Allen Toussaint just to name a few.

The benefit concert raised $300,088.65, proving to be a huge success. Donations can still be made at www.gulfaid.org. The foundation's initial distribution went to the fishing community most impacted in St. Bernard and Plaquemines Parishes.