Gulf Coast Oil Disaster

In the years following Hurricane Katrina, Louisiana residents have made incredible progress in the rebuilding of communities and the economy. However, in the face of a tragic disaster, much of this progress has been lost – causing further damage. Families continue to suffer as jobs are lost.

The man-made disaster occurred on April 20, when an off-shore oil rig erupted in the Gulf of Mexico, causing a massive outpour of oil into the sea. The spill is the largest in U.S. history and has stifled economic growth in the wounded communities of Louisiana and most surrounding coastal areas. Estimates indicate that as many as 2.5 million gallons of oil are being released into the ocean daily, threatening coastal Louisiana sea life, fisheries and Gulf ecosystems.

Perhaps the most devastating effect of the oil spill, however, is the severe impact on local economy through the damage and destruction of coastal sea life. Louisiana is prominently supported by its $2.4 billion fishing and oyster industry. Since the spill, 23 percent of the seafood production has been temporarily shut down by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, resulting in approximately $460 million loss in revenue and more than 12,000 Louisiana residents filing for unemployment. Furthermore, it is anticipated that Louisiana’s unemployment rates will skyrocket to more than 10 percent from the current 6.7 percent.

The increasing number of families with diminishing incomes threatens the education of the 223,000 school-aged children in Louisiana. Of these children, as many as 20,000 are living below the poverty line and face the most severe risk of losing their opportunity for education due to the dwindling economic climate and family job loss related to the oil spill.

In partnership with the Church of the King and the New Orleans Dream Center, GCHope plans to send backpacks filled with school supplies to school children in Louisiana and along the Gulf Coast, with special emphasis on families in New Orleans. By providing backpacks and school supplies, children will be fully prepared for the upcoming school year and families may confidently send their children to school without the financial burden of purchasing new items in the wake of losing their only source of income to the Gulf Coast disaster.

• Fishermen and workers of Mexico’s state-owned oil company, Pemex, work Jan. 12 to contain an oil spill on the Coatzacoalcos River in eastern Mexico. – Dario Lopez-Mills / AP file

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