Gulf Oil Spill Aftermath: Rosina, Geraldine Philippe Of Louisiana's Atakapa Tribe Tell Their Story (VIDEO)

Day 46 - This is the exact day that Rosina Philippe remembers the devastating effects of the Gulf oil spill reaching her home.

Rosina recalls that "it came rolling into the bay. I mean tons of it, just thick orange. It was horrible. It just came in and it kept coming and there was nothing to stop it... [We] knew that it was coming in and everything it touched was going to die. And that's just what happened." Rosina and Geraldine Philippe are members of the Atakapa Tribe in Grand Bayou Village, Louisiana. They told their story as part of a conversation and slideshow for "Stories from the Gulf: Living with the BP Oil Disaster," a project of NRDC, StoryCorps and Bridge the Gulf.

For Rosina, living on the bayou was a peaceful, idyllic way to grow up. While she didn't possess all of the material goods that many Americans proudly own, she felt fortunate for her surroundings. As Rosina explains, "I know there are things that I didn't grow up with, but I had the outdoors, I had nature. I didn't go to SeaWorld until I was in my 30's. But I had the porpoises, all of the animals, that's part of our world. It taught me to be a steward of my environment."

Unfortunately for Rosina and Geraldine, their perfect world has been shattered by the oil spill. Despite reports that their shrimp are safe to eat, the crustacean now dies as soon as it's taken out of the water. The porpoises and starfish carcasses washing up on the beaches confirm for Rosina that her water is still hazardous. Rosina will only feel safe again "when things stop dying." Rosina is part of a growing number of residents who fear that they will be forgotten, left to clean up someone else's mess.

As for Geraldine, she's still trying to adapt to this new, post-spill world. She sadly states, "It's hard to realize that our way of life is going to be totally changed because of this situation."

More Gulf Coast stories will be released by the NRDC on their website, www.nrdc.org/storycorps.

WATCH the women tell their story in this slideshow presentation:

Comments

[conservicide]

03:35 PM on 01/21/2011

Everyone should go lookup a local BP exec or P.R. firm's home and throw oil on it.

[R.W. Sanders]

01:41 AM on 01/21/2011

All around the southern Louisiana/Texas border became defiled many decades ago. With the refineries of Port Arthur to the offshore rigs and their leaks, the environment has been involved in adapting to toxic conditions. That, in turn, causes the local people to adapt. With the environmental exploitation and particularly the loss of the barrier islands, the people may finally have to evacuate. One more large spill in the area could pretty much wipe out the local fishing industry. These folks, who represent a cherished part of our history, may in fact be history. At least in that area. If a new energy source is not found, I can foresee a large refinery that begins in Houston and ends in New Orleans. We could call it Toxitania.

[annarkey]

01:29 AM on 01/21/2011

When the result of deep water drilling for oil has this much impact on a people with 1000 years of culture and as an environmental disaster of unknown consequences for the world; there should be more concern. Obviously, with less than 200 comments, the community that comes to the HP site has lost interest. The die-off of birds, fish, cows and other living creatures does not provoke much interest either. The media no longer covers these stories because they have moved on and politics now has center stage with the coming 2012 elections.

BP's actions were never held accountable and the mandated safeguards were never scrutinized and in the midst of the disaster our government had no control over the corporation. They were told not to use the toxic chemicals to break up the oil, which they simply ignored. BP ran this show and our Coast Guard and researchers from NOAH had no power.

The BP oil spill served to open my eyes to the ineffectiveness of our democracy to protect the Gulf region, its people, their livelihoods, the fragile environment, and the future ramifications which are unknown. Because oil is of such importance to the world; the deep water drilling is continuing. Nothing has changed with regard to protections and there will be another disaster in the Gulf. Once again the media will rush down to tell the same stories, it will be head line news, and we will repeat the mistakes and wonder why.

[Rosewren]

07:09 PM on 01/22/2011

The corporations poisonous greed has been destroying our world for decades. It is like the the lily pond effect. At first, there were just a few lilies covering the pond but as time went by the entire pond was covered and everything suffocated. The tentacles of greed have permeated every facet of our daily lives suffocating the very people the corporations were supposed to serve up their great capitalistic dinner for all to partake, but instead we find we are eating something rotten and poisonous. They have become so powerful today, I really don't see a way for it turn around until it completely implodes on us and the earth starts fresh. Hopefully, those that survive will remember and pass the lesson on and it won't be repeated.

[annarkey]

03:28 PM on 01/23/2011

Thank you Rose Wren,

It bothers me that we only have a small understanding of what is hurting our planet and its people. I believe that you are correct that it may be impossible to repair all of the damage done that has given us a toxic environment.

My state is Michigan, and my home is in Traverse City (the pinky on the mitten) and I have concern for the water resources and ecology. We have had invasive species that have taken hold and made extinct many native species. Currently, there is only one electric grid near Chicago that is keeping the Asian Carp already in the Mississippi River out of the Great Lakes, although there is some DNA evidence that it may be too late. The government is ready to do away with even this fragile barrier because it makes transport difficult....again a matter of money vs our planet.

We are, also, losing our water to industries who put it into plastic bottles, China is taking our resources and storing it in reserves. There is a law that prohibits taking the water directly from the large lakes, so the companies take the water inland, which lowers the water table and the wells of residents near by. Can we trust the government when they say that the water will return, that the lakes have cycles? Once it disappears, once the invasive species and toxins eliminate the native wildlife and plants, it will be too late. Business as usual.

[Areyoukiddingg]

08:39 PM on 01/20/2011

What BP caused to happen in the Gulf is an American tragedy similar to Katrina. Obama and his administration should be ashamed of themselves. The Gulf will never be the same.

[Coyote50]

11:08 PM on 01/20/2011

And this was Obama's fault how? Oh, I bet you were one of the people who wanted him to put on his Superman suit and swim down and plug the leak. Bah humbug. Years of not enforcing the regulations because Bush put people into the regulatory agencies who didn't believe in regulating and only wanted to party with the oil industry. Obama was working on changing personnel, but this doesn't happen overnight.

[ladcrp]

11:23 PM on 01/20/2011

Really? Dispersants.

[ladcrp]

11:26 PM on 01/20/2011

I voted for Obama & I HA)()(TE 30 years of ReT)(hug rule that has brought this country to the verge of third world status. Bush & Cheney should BOTH be in prison for tre)(aso)(nous acts against this Country.
That being said, the arrogance of the Obama Administration has tried my patience over two years to the point that I no longer hold out any hope for real improvement in the country's affairs over the long term. The last straw was ceding the tax cut to the rich in the waning hours of the lame duck session. To watch those self-congratulating a)($$h)(oles slapping each others backs as they washed away the last vestiges of hope this nation had in the form of more money for RICH USELESS people & MORE PI)($$ on the heads of working people was unforgivable.
With regard to BP, Obama played politics and we didn't need that. He should have demanded the arrival of supertankers on-site within days to scoop up oil as it rose and he should have assured that it WOULD RISE by banning the dispersants on DAY 1. But he didn't. Why? Well, he was covering his a)($$ too wasn't he?
Lastly, BPs Tiny Tony should have found himself sitting in a jail cell in La w/o bail. That would have got that multi-national criminal operation's attention and quick.

[Meesterclean]

08:12 PM on 01/20/2011

A must see.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWVQvVSeRdA

[bipolarcat452]

08:37 PM on 01/20/2011

Oh pull---eeeeze! Spare us the nonsense of Alex Jones and Jesse Ventura. Those two along with Charlie Sheen for the ultimate "8-Ball Bookend Triumvirate".

[Meesterclean]

08:47 PM on 01/20/2011

I've been following this case and I was surprised to see how accurate and well documented the series is. A+

They did their homework.

[Meesterclean]

08:12 PM on 01/20/2011

Obama telling people that the fish was safe was my last straw.

They used 4.6 million gallons of Corexit and there are reports that they are still using it.

Out of hundreds, perhaps thousands, almost every single worker exposed to that chemical, less than 25 years ago, in the Exxon Valdez clean up is no longer living today.

http://www.examiner.com/gulf-oil-spill-in-tampa-bay/corexit-9500-cause-of-death-for-exxon-valdez-oil-spill-clean-up-workers
http://www.examiner.com/oil-spill-in-national/oil-spill-update-epa-whistleblower-speaks-on-corexit-says-dolphins-people-hemorrhaging-video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaIs45KAJws
http://www.zimbio.com/Deepwater+Horizon/articles/mfFK1DHGeRw/Nearly+Every+Cleanup+Worker+Exxon+Valdez+Now
http://www.floridaoilspilllaw.com/state-2-butoxyethanol-corexit-9527a
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/07/marine-biologist-claims-coast-guard-involved-corexit-spraying/

[vippy]

07:57 PM on 01/20/2011

What specifically is the government testing.  Did they all round them up and then feed them poison?
Other animals or birds would have eaten that poison as well, but just sparrows.  And who is to say that sparrows are bad.  They are lovely little creatures.  I don't buy this explanation, no sirree!!!!

[texadonkey]

04:30 PM on 01/20/2011

I've given up all seafood. I'll see what happens in 5 years.

[kittyman]

10:09 AM on 01/21/2011

Same here. I don't want to be a guinea pig for this experiment.

[deltalady]

05:29 PM on 01/20/2011

What the heck does that mean? Hard to be healthy when your land and water are polluted.

[djekizian]

08:14 PM on 01/20/2011

Baxtron's syntax indicates that stupid is healthy.

[HuffGeist]

03:42 PM on 01/20/2011

Ah, the perennial fight of humans against nature. A fight that humans will surely lose if continued.

[Deathly Pallor]

09:17 AM on 01/21/2011

I look forward to our defeat.

[letprosecutionsbegin]

03:24 PM on 01/20/2011

True enough -- but perhaps a more important point is how we may have lived ..

See no Xanax needed -- no charge even ..

[jqcitizen]

03:10 PM on 01/20/2011

Earthquakes, hurricanes, cold spells or heat waves cannot be immediately prevented, if ever.
The help of citizens, the Red Cross, first responders and countless others are there, at times like these disasters.

But, when employees of a money driven company die it is, somehow a time for lawyers to get involved.

I do not know if the price of coal has gone up to cover the cost of needless death of miners. But, it is a guarantee that the oil cartel will recoup their $$$$ by giving everyone the 'privilege' of paying for their greed at the pump.

Their motto is: WE DESTROY and YOU PAY. --Twice: 1.-For our screw up. 2.-For our court costs by complaining.

[letprosecutionsbegin]

03:04 PM on 01/20/2011

See a major reason why this country can't ever seem to solve problems -- i mean seriously solve its problems is an amazing lack of citizen attention span -- and other oil forms --- snake oils and entertainments -- the age old survival mechanism for weak and powerless peoples.

By and large -- the Oil Well turned off -- oh goody -- things are just swell now .. NEXT!

The nation's attention deficit problem .. and dyslexic nature ..

Been going on for years ...

How else could corporate/military/NSS ascendancy, globalism, wars, serfdom be explained with barely a whimper from an increasingly marginalized peoples ..

Sure by and large the masses were plied with massive amounts of salving debt -- facilitating ever more and larger houses, vacations, cars, entertainments, gizmo's and gadget's -- and a devil may care attitude -- spoiled brats --- but those day's are long past now -- not to return again .. at least not in this lifetime and if humans are ever capable of understanding or wisdom on a massive scale --- perhaps never again will such pride and arrogance abide ---

Sadly not in my lifetime however ...

Looking into the mirror and the edge of the abyss simultaneously is an unpleasant thing

[hogtown]

03:41 PM on 01/20/2011

You just ruined my day but I have to fan you for the truth

[vippy]

07:59 PM on 01/20/2011

...and the people don't even realize when they have been had.  Now that is the sad part. 

[84BADGER]

02:49 PM on 01/20/2011

When is the government going to start telling people the truth? This is reminiscent of the EPA telling WTC cleanup workers that the site contained no contaminants that would be hazardous to their health. The right wing continues to assert that deregulation is the surest path to prosperity. Well, that prosperity is only enjoyed by only a few people and usually to the detriment of all others. The oil industry does indeed employ a lot of people but what about all the fishing, resort, restaurant and seafood owners/workers whose livelihoods were diminished or destroyed by this disaster? These are the "Real Americans" that people like Palin purport to represent.

[totaldisbelief]

02:30 PM on 01/20/2011

I don't think Chairman Hu will be visiting the Gulf area....or inner city DC for that matter.
But...We're Number One ...We're Number One ...We're Number One .