Ecological Disaster

In case you were wondering what may be coming down in the Gulf weather-wise, you can get good satellite information here. The major cable services, even the Weather Channel, are too obsessed with their storm porn and commercials to keep the general public updated. We're relatively lucky: the only organized storms in the Atlantic are still in their breeding ground off the coast of Africa, giving us some breathing room. Hopefully the evacuations in the Gulf area will continue with no new storms.

Meanwhile, from Kos, it seems we've lost a large number of our oil rigs in the Gulf, and a major ecological disaster is brewing.

20 oil rigs missing in Gulf of Mexico: US Coast Guard

"WASHINGTON (AFP) - At least 20 oil rigs and platforms are missing in the Gulf of Mexico and a ruptured gas pipeline is on fire after Hurricane Katrina tore through the region, a US Coast Guard official said. "We have confirmed at least 20 rigs or platforms missing, either sunk or adrift, and one confirmed fire where a rig was," Petty Officer Robert Reed of the Louisiana Coast Guard told AFP."

Onto the diary...

Newest (and very informative and very scary) report from an anonymous insider

"There are MANY production platforms missing (as in not visible from the air). This means they have been totally lost. I am talking about 10's of platforms, not single digit numbers. Each platform can have from 4 to 100+ wells on it. Most larger ones have 20-30 wells in this area, with numerous caisson wells. They are on their sides, on the bottom of the gulf - they will likely be left as reef material, provided we can get permission. MMS regulations require us to plug each of the wells that were on these platforms - HUGE cost now, as the platforms are gone... Hopefully, MMS will grant `abandon in place' status for these wiped out structures."

Sounds like an ecological disaster to me.

"In short, the Gulf area hit by the storm is basically in about the same shape as Biloxi. The damage numbers you have gotten from the government and analysts are, in my opinion, much too low. We are looking at YEARS to return to the production levels we had prior to the storm. The eastern Gulf of Mexico is primarily oil production..."

There's more to the article but I think what this basically says is that oil production in the Gulf is going to be affected in a much larger way than is being reported, and also for a much longer time.

Thanks to Atrios for the tip.

If they get another couple of hurricanes this season, the Gulf shore may end up on the north side of the lake.

And regarding the media: no, they won't talk about the real trouble, and they won't hold Bush or the energy cartels that produced this insane situation responsible.

But it will be amusing next year (in a very black sort of way) to watch the republicans steal the '06 elections- you know they will, every last seat in Congress they can- with only, say, ten percent of the public supporting them.

Especially if after the end of this year's hurricane season and a summer of category 5's next year, the Gulf coast is at Vicksburg, and gasoline is $20 a gallon.

When do you suppose Negroponte will declare martial law nationwide? Before or after 2006? Because if there aren't some major policy changes, the national dysfunctionality is only going to grow.

When do you think people realize Negroponte and Gonzales are the ones now running the show? Karl Rove never could run anything- he's great at vicious plans, but little else. On the other hand, Negroponte and Gonzales can run a Secret Police force, but little else.

Bush is overtly demented and nonfunctional, Dick is sick (when Team Xinhua tried to buy Unocal it almost killed him), and Rummy's barking crazy when he talks in public.