Missing Pieces Identified In That Oil Spill Puzzle

While the scientific side of the calamity remains in search of a solution, let us call on other resources to address the human side--before that becomes overwhelming.

BP photo of oil plume

(SALEM, Ore.) - Oil, oil, great turmoil! That's the mega dilemma facing our President and Congress as the BP oil spill begun April 20 continues to gush out and infiltrate our precious Gulf Coast to say nothing of its deleterious impact on the economy.

As a former Red Cross disaster volunteer in both Ground Zero and Hurricane Gustav operations, speaking only for myself, I can foresee a definite Red Cross role awaiting.

Once the cumulative oil makes substantial landfall, there is a potential health hazard for those living nearby including the young and the aged. Breathing those fumes can likely prove hazardous. Emergency shelters must be considered.

As back-up, local clinics and hospitals will require the vital emergency supplies for respiratory treatment. Perhaps our US Surgeon General can help coordinate that effort.

Finally, the crisis at hand will surely have mental health ripple effects. It is certain to create Post Traumatic Stress Disorder communitywide. That feeling of helplessness is not much different than that of soldiers pinned down in a raging gun battle in Iraq or Afghanistan, and we must begin to prepare right now. The Red Cross mental health team can probably take on the vanguard.

While the scientific side of the calamity remains in search of a solution, let us call on other resources to address the human side--before that becomes overwhelming.

May this wake-up call reach the ears of the powers-that-be.

He also launched the nation's first tele-conference on health education for shut-ins, created the Eldermentors project in VA to pair retirees with immigrant students needing role models, and was the main catalyst behind CCTV's "Public Public" panel show here in Salem. Lee received his BA in International Relations and an MSW in community organization. He currently serves as a member of Salem's Library Advisory Board. To send Lee an email, please write to this address: luckycoyne@yahoo.com