Allen Calls Oil Spill ‘A Disaster’

Even though the Deepwater Horizon oil well has been permanently capped, the aftermath of the nation’s worst environmental disaster is still wreaking havoc for much of the Gulf.

“If you’re sitting in Barataria Bay, it’s still a disaster. If the folks have not come back to the panhandle of Florida, it’s still a disaster,” former Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, told CNN.

Allen is the Obama Administration’s onsite leader for surveying and evaluating the state of the relief efforts.

He also went on to enforce the need for continuing efforts to monitor and clean the area: ”We need to keep a steady hand at the tiller to keep the cleanup going.”

“It’s a catastrophe. It’s a catastrophe for the people of the Gulf, and it requires our attention until we get the job done,” he said.

On April 20, the Deepwater Horizon oil well, which is managed by BP, exploded killing 11 platform workers, injuring dozens others and spilling hundreds of millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico and surrounding waters. The worst man-made environmental disaster in the nation’s history set off a domino effect of environmental, economic and health gravities. From threatening the survival of the Gulf’s aquatic life to forcing hundreds of fishermen out of work, the effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill will be felt for years and generations to come.

Tags: oil spill, thad allen