As expected, the oil spill caused by the explosion and sinking of BP-owned rig Deepwater Horizon April 20 reached the mouth of the Mississippi River this morning, reports CNN. The Louisiana wetlands in the river's delta will be the first to be affected by the spill; however the slick is steadily making its way to the Mississippi, Alabama and Florida coasts as well. Officials expect the oil to reach Mississippi tomorrow.

The massive spill, which now covers more than 600 square miles, may well exceed that of the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster in Alaska's Prince William Sound. That area has still not fully recovered from the environmental damage caused 21 years ago. In addition to ecological damage, the Gulf Coast can expect to see damage to its fishing and tourism industries.

In a statement yesterday, Gov. Haley Barbour said Mississippi is preparing for the worst.

"The state's effort is being led by the Department of Environmental Quality and the Department of Marine Resources," Barbour said. "They're working closely with the private company, its contractors and the federal government—including the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard—to block oil residue from coming ashore and to clean up any that does."

According to the governor's release, BP has set up three call numbers for people to report wildlife problems, damage or oiled shoreline:

To report oiled wildlife, please call 1-866-557-1401 and leave a message. Messages will be checked hourly.

To discuss spill related damage, please call 1-800-440-0858.

To report oiled shoreline or request volunteer information, please call 1-866-448-5816.

Previous Comments

ID

157547

Comment

Simply horrifying.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2010-04-30T11:14:28-06:00

ID

157548

Comment

I don't know what else to add to that. It's just horrifying!

Author

Tre

Date

2010-04-30T11:58:58-06:00

ID

157550

Comment

Yesterday, the wait felt a lot like waiting for Katrina. Today, it just feels like hell. If the worst occurs, the environmental damage will devastate the Gulf coast for decades.

Author

Ronni_Mott

Date

2010-04-30T12:15:14-06:00

ID

157552

Comment

The next time some jackass pretends we can solve our energy problems by chanting "Drill baby drill!" someone should dump a bucket of crude oil over their head. I'm looking at you, Sarah.

Author

Brian C Johnson

Date

2010-04-30T12:54:19-06:00

ID

157553

Comment

Drill, baby, drill! Drill, baby, drill! Hey no one is talking about the good side of this. Free oil! Go down there and fill you up some buckets.

Author

DrumminD21311

Date

2010-04-30T13:31:35-06:00

ID

157555

Comment

Let's all put on our bathing suits and go down there and have an oil party! We can build oil castles, have oil splash fights, oil surf parties, make love on the beach while the waves of oil gently splash over us, compete to see who can hold their breath the longest under the oil.

Author

DrumminD21311

Date

2010-04-30T13:44:06-06:00

ID

157556

Comment

Not really, Drummin', considering the economic devastation this man-made disaster is likely to cause.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2010-04-30T13:51:28-06:00

ID

157577

Comment

Brian C. most forms of energy have the potential to cause harm to our enviroment if not handled correctly. Ever hear of Chernobyl?

Author

js1976

Date

2010-05-03T11:21:38-06:00

ID

157580

Comment

js: Most "non-renewable" and "carbon-based" forms of energy have the potential to cause harm. That's exactly the argument for more research and implementation of green, renewable energy sources, including wind and solar, to replace the current dangerous and dirty sources.

Author

Ronni_Mott

Date

2010-05-03T12:35:53-06:00

ID

157582

Comment

JS, you might have a point if I had advocated for the expansion of nuclear power, which is not a renewable source of energy. Of course, even wind and solar power can have some environmental impact, though at its worst, the impact from a solar power plant is tiny compared to a catastrophic oil spill. Drill baby drill is a lie for two reasons. The first is that we cannot come anywhere near to meeting our energy needs through domestic sources of petroleum, even if we drill absolutely everywhere. The second is that we now know we should not believe people who claim that catastrophic oil spills are a thing of the past.

Author

Brian C Johnson

Date

2010-05-03T14:30:40-06:00

ID

157595

Comment

Ronni, I'm with you all the way. By no means did my comment advocate that I'm against new sources of energy. Brian, I just saw your post as an opportunity to take a stab at the right. Anyone who claims that catastrophic oil spills are a thing of the past are pea brained. However, I still don't see this as a reason to not assume some of the responsiblity of supplying our nation with our own crude oil.

Author

js1976

Date

2010-05-04T08:27:55-06:00

ID

157601

Comment

I have been worried that we're getting ahead of ourselves in comparing this disaster to the Exxon Valdez spill. Now, this article articulates some of the same concerns. The two spills are different in many ways, in terms of the kind of oil spilled, the rate of spill, and the concentration of oil. There are also major differences in the environment. The Gulf is warmer, with vastly different geology. Finally, there are key differences in the response, because Alaska is remote and inaccessible compared to the Gulf. None of this is to dismiss the seriousness of this disaster. It has already killed thousands of ocean animals, and it has the potential to do horrifying damage to wetlands and other coastal areas. But we run the risk of generating a backlash if we are too quick to declare apocalypse.

Author

Brian C Johnson

Date

2010-05-04T10:07:00-06:00