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As Well is Capped, Mississippi's Back Bay Copes with Oil Disaster

Oil in the Gulf of Mexico

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Back Bay Mission "Oil Spill Update" UCC Disaster Response: Gulf Oil Spill

BILOXI, MS (07/21/2010) -- Even as engineers, officials, and safety specialists from BP and the federal government tentatively announced that the blown-out well in the Gulf of Mexico had been capped, at least temporarily, the consequences of the millions of gallons of crude oil released into the waters continued to affect a community still years from recovery after the hurricanes of 2005.

"I am forced to tell those who ask me that this disaster is far from being over," says the Rev. Shari Prestemon, executive director of the UCC's Back Bay Mission in Biloxi, Mississippi, a community service agency serving the poorest of the poor. On Back Bay's web site, Prestemon's Oil Spill updates tell the story of a community gradually coming to terms with the the increasing weight of the burden.

At the end of June, Prestemon wrote, "according to a study done by the University of South Mississippi:

• "Recreational fishing is down over 90% since the oil spill
• "Sales of those who supply boats, bait, ice, fuel and other supplies fell 70%
• "Non-casino hotels have seen a 50% drop
• "Seafood restaurant sales are down 30%; prices are up 30%
• "The tourism industry in the three Coast counties lost $26.9 million in May"

As July began, the first tarballs began to appear on Mississippi beaches, despite earlier predictions that currents would direct the oil away from that part of the coast. "The disaster that had in some sense been 'out there' was now undeniably right here with us," wrote Prestemon. "Now the platoons of beach cleanup workers are everywhere, battling this major technological disaster with nothing more than simple rakes and garbage bags."

"Please pray for the Le family [whose shrimping business is imperilled] and for all those whose lives have been upended by this ongoing disaster. And pray too for those who are now tasked with healing the wounds, fostering survival, and solving the massive problems of economy and ecology with which we are left."

Prestemon was among those interviewed for the story below, produced by an NBC affiliate (NBC4i.com) in Columbus, Ohio. Please note that the content, including advertising, is not under the control of, and may not represent the opinions of, the Connecticut Conference.