Monday, July 12, 2010

As if the BP Oil Disaster, itself, wasn't enough, the stress caused by it is taking a toll

Screencap source: http://us.mobile.reuters.com/mobile/m/AnyArticle/p.rdt?URL=http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE66A0B820100711

"Gulf Coast native Kindra Arnesen is so anxious about the effects of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill she is packing up her family and leaving town."

You may remember Kindra Arnesen from a YouTube video of her explaining to people at some kind of townhall meeting how she had seen firsthand BP screwing the clean up royal. I guess seeing what their behavior in- person really made her (understandably) worried.

The article continues:

"'Stress? Dude my clothes are falling off me (because of weight loss). The level of stress here is tremendous. My husband has aged 10 years in two months,' Arnesen said on Friday as she loaded possessions into a van outside her trailer home in Venice.

"Fears are growing of an increase in stress-related illness and mental health problems from the BP Plc spill. Anecdotal evidence abounds but mental health officials say they lack data about the scale and scope of suffering.

"Arnesen recently set up the Wives of Commercial Fishermen network to respond to pressures in the community. Two days ago, a friend told her he was so upset about his failure to get hired by BP's cleanup program he was considering suicide.

"Arnesen has her own worries. Her husband cannot work as a shrimper because authorities have closed swathes of Gulf waters to fishing and her children and other relatives have fallen sick from what she believes are airborne toxins from the leak."

Stressed? What do these people have to be stressed about?

>_
Ah the better things the USG could be spending tax-payer dollars on, instead of Iraq, Afghanistan, an imaginary war on terror...

Therapy for the entire Gulf region... After all, it's the USG that is responsible for making sure oil companies know what they are doing.

Posted via email from thepete's posterous

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