ON THE GULF OF MEXICO — The impending death of BP’s blown-out oil well will bring one piece of the catastrophe that began five months ago to an anticlimactic end — after all, the gusher was capped in July.
This, though, is an important milestone for the still-weary residents of the Gulf Coast: an assurance that not so much as a trickle of oil will ever seep from the well that already has ruined so much since the disaster first started.
The tragedy began April 20, when an explosion killed 11 workers, sank a drilling rig and led to the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history.
Crews had already pumped in cement to seal the well from the bottom, and officials said Saturday it had set. Once a pressure and weight test was finished, officials expected to confirm that the well is permanently plugged.
People who rely on the Gulf of Mexico and its coastline for their livelihoods, though, know the disaster is far from over. They are left to rebuild amid the businesses destroyed by once-oil-coated shorelines and fishing grounds that were tainted by crude. Even where the seafood is safe, fishermen struggle to sell it to consumers fearful that it is toxic.
News that the blown-out well would soon be dead brought little comfort to people such as Sheryl Lindsay, who owns Orange Beach Weddings, which provides beach ceremonies on Alabama’s coast.
She said she lost about $240,000 in business as nervous brides-to-be canceled their weddings. So far, she has received only about $29,000 in BP compensation.
“I’m scared that BP is going to pull out and leave us hanging with nothing,” Lindsay said.
For Tom Becker, a charter fishing boat captain in Biloxi, Miss., news that the well was nearly dead is too little, too late. His business has tanked, down more than 60 percent with $36,000 in lost revenue, not to mention the business he’ll lose in the future.
“The phones just aren’t ringing,” Becker said. “The damage is done. I’m glad to hear the well is sealed because now we won’t have to speculate about it happening again. Now let’s worry about the future.”
