The Obama Administration yesterday designated a new Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force. This group, to be made up of a mixture of federal, state, tribal, and local representatives, will work to maximize efficiency in the Gulf of Mexico’s efforts to improve its resiliency in the wake of man-made disasters. To that end, heathy ecosystems […]
Archive | Gulf of Mexico
New Details on the $500 Million BP Independent Research Initiative
A new press release yesterday from BP, outlining how the committed $500 million will be distributed (here in its entirety): BP and the Gulf of Mexico Alliance Announce Implementation of BP’s $500 Million Independent Research Initiative HOUSTON – BP and the Gulf of Mexico Alliance today announced plans for the implementation of BP’s $500 million […]
Five Years After: The Changing Landscape of the Lower Ninth Ward
The New York Times has created a mesmerizing and troubling (and clever) webpage that allows you to virtually drive down two streets in New Orleans’s Lower Ninth Ward in 2006, 2007, 2009, and 2010. The animation stops at various properties along the way, so you can see how certain buildings have fared (some gone, some […]
NOAA Announces New Coastal Resilience Networks Grant Program
From our friends at NOAA: CRest Grant Program – Coastal Resilience Networks Pacific Islands – Gulf of Mexico – West Coast Coastal Resilience Networks (CRest) is a new and exciting grant opportunity for the Pacific Islands, Gulf of Mexico, and West Coast regions. The program funds projects that help communities become more resilient to the […]
Panel to Discuss Long-Term Impacts of Oil Spill, this Friday (Web or Corpus Christi)
Curious about the projected effects of the oil spill on the region? The Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies is hosting an event in Corpus Christi on Friday. Not in Texas (or too far from Corpus Christi)? You can also watch the event on your computer. From their press release: Scientists with the […]
New Batch of Oil Spill Photos
MSNBC has added to their already expansive photo collection covering the spill from the explosion to yesterday (day 62). While they’re not pleasant viewing, many of the photos are captivating. Don’t forget to visit the easily-missed tabs in the upper right corner that break the photos down month-by-month. “Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster” (on MSNBC)
New Survey of Southeast Louisiana Residents Shows Most Planning to Evacuate
A new survey of residents of Southeast Louisiana finds that while 57% feel at least “moderately comfortable” with the area’s levee systems, drainage pumps, and emergency warning systems, about 80% have “well developed” hurricane evacuation plans and say they are willing to evacuate in the face of a hurricane (see the graph for percentages of […]
The 2010 Hurricane Season Begins with New Oil Spill Map
Today, of course, marks the start of the 2010 Hurricane Season. The good news: there don’t appear to be any storms yet. The bad news: the oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill continues to spread without an end in site. Have a look at this interactive map that shows the extent of the oil each […]
County Promotes More Precise Storm Surge Maps
A Florida county has released new storm surge maps, and they’re giving locals a more precise idea of their risks of being hit by the storm surge associated with a hurricane. Tampa Bay Online has the whole story. As the article reports, Hillsborough County has based the maps on revised models from the National Hurricane […]
Lots of Unknowns as Hurricane Season Closes in on Clean-Up Efforts
Reuters has an interesting article on what the oil spill means for this year’s hurricane season. The short version? Nobody’s sure. On the one hand, nobody likes the idea of the a hurricane pushing the oil that’s currently at sea into the Gulf’s beaches (or further inland). On the other hand, some folks, including some […]