It’s Not Just The Fish
I’m sure no one could have anticipated that there would be a human cost as well:
Desperation is setting in in Southeast Louisiana. “I spoke to a group of fishermen, mainly Vietnamese Americans and a group of them came up to me and said, they told me that they contemplated suicide because they’re in such despair,” says Congressman Joseph Cao. He says fishermen are feeling compounded stress on top of post-Katrina troubles. “For some people, this is almost a boiling point where they can no longer handle it and they’re going to crack.”
“These are grown men that broke down and cried this morning because they don’t know what to do and we don’t know how long it’s going to be,” says Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser.
That’s why Cao and organizations like Volunteers of America are working to get mental health workers on the ground to intervene. “They’ve just recovered as a result of their businesses, their homes and the rebuilding effort and now you have a number of these small businesses, these fishermen, who have to go through this all over again,” says Voris Vigee with the Volunteers of America. She says organizations are expediting crisis and mental health counseling among other disaster-related services.
Maybe BP’s CEO and COO should come down and explain to the distraught fishermen that “the overall impact… will be very, very modest” and they’re “very optimistic that the gulf will fully recover.” So you see, there’s really nothing to worry about, just ignore all those terrible alarmist scientists and reports of 24-mile stretches of wetlands being killed stone dead.
And if that doesn’t work, there’s always the old standby, “At least you still have your health.”
May 22nd, 2010 at 07:25pm Posted by Eli
Entry Filed under: Environment,Wankers
