Oil Spill in Gulf Affecting More Than Vacations

Dothan, Ala -- I am a freelance writer about 90 miles from the nearest beach. Panama City Beach, Florida, is in the Gulf of Mexico, not to mention our own beaches that attract tourists. The same tourists that drive through to get to the beaches. Each of these tourists stops at a number of convenience stores while driving through town or around the circle.

Lately when I turn on the evening news I find myself saddened. Our local news station WTVY News 4 has posted an article on its website about an advisory that was issued about the beaches. From Mississippi to the Florida line they advise against going into the water. There is oil visible to the east of Mobile Bay and it's only expected to keep coming. Fishing in a number of areas has been put to stop. I find the need ask exactly who would want to fish in oil and better yet who would want to eat the catch knowing what was coming?

The usual ads for the beaches (for Panama City Beach) have been replaced with ads telling people that there isn't any oil on the beaches yet. Thinking about the white sand and blue waters covered in oil is rather depressing. How would a beach covered in oil affect me? Well, that's rather difficult to say but not so difficult to imagine.

Unemployment is still higher in Alabama than most states at around 9%. The oil spill is not likely to help gas prices that are considered low at around $2.60 average in the area. While I work at home I still have to purchase gasoline. I have to take my child to therapy four days a week, then there are the errands for things such as groceries. I can see the oil spill increasing the prices of gasoline and groceries making it harder to meet basic needs.

Determining how and to what extent the oil spill will effect my family is difficult. The chances of the local economy improving enough for my husband to find a job now that school is out and he's off for the summer have decreased. There are some area attractions such as Water World that attract visitors but they don't compare to the beaches. The fact that no one was hiring before the spill isn't going to change now. Who's going to spend money they don't have and that's not likely to come in?

The oil spill means that my youngest daughter will never know what it's like to walk along the beach and breath in fresh air. It also puts our local Oyster Bars and Seafood Restaurants at risk of closing. While News 4 has posted an article that referred to an extra harvesting day for Oysters from Apalachicola, Florida it's not likely to be enough. I've already seen the reports of fishermen losing their lively hood as the fishing waters are closed. What I have yet to see is something that works in cleaning up the oil spill.

Hurricane season is here, rain has been here the last week. There is more rain in the Gulf of Mexico moving the spill closer to the beaches from Mississippi all the way to Florida. When the first hurricane comes inland the oil which is likely to be on the beach will come farther inland. I've seen hurricanes come over a 100 miles inland, with wind speeds of 100 miles an hour. Now imagine that with oil in it.

The disaster in the Gulf as it as been so casually called is only beginning to touch the lives of those that are in areas seemingly unaffected. I believe that we're all affected whether we realize it or not. How can you not be affected when you see animals that weren't meant to come in contact with oil soaked in it? Oil was not actually meant for consumption yet thousands of micro-organisms have ingested it in a manner of speaking.

How can you go unaffected by something that affects the entire food chain. We're after all only people, we may have evolved but we did not become indestructible. Could someone be trying to tell us something?