Page 16 - South Mississippi Living - April, 2020

COAST NOTE
DEEPWATER HORIZON
story by John N. Felsher OA Decade After Disaster, the Coast Shines Again
n April 20, 2010, an explosion rocked the British Petroleum (BP) oil platform known as Deepwater Horizon sitting in the Gulf of Mexico about 40 miles from the southeastern Louisiana mainland. The explosion and re killed 11 workers and injured 17, but the crisis had just begun with the Mississippi coastline right in the crosshairs of an environmental and economic disaster.
For months, the largest marine oil spill in history shut down shing along the northern Gulf Coast. It also signi cantly impacted the seafood industry and coastal tourism, but those industries roared back.
“The BP Oil Spill had negative impacts on coastal commercial and recreational activities,” reported Joe Spraggins, the executive director of the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources in Biloxi. “For the most part, though, all short-term impacts have been mitigated. Long-term impacts are still being studied and evaluated. Mississippi seafood is considered some of the safest available for the consuming public.”
Many people took jobs helping clean up the oil or used their boats to shuttle crews around. Businesses persevered through the bad times, only to come back stronger.
“Despite Deepwater Horizon, there’s been no diminishment of companies interested in expanding in Harrison County,” said Bill Lavers, executive director of the Harrison County Development
Commission. “Our Coastal Partnership program, which promotes the Coast as a premier relocation destination, has continued to receive increased inquiries from out-of-state parties wanting to move here.”
Today, people eat shrimp, crabs or sh they caught in Mississippi waters or order delicious gulf seafood from numerous local restaurants. Tourists again enjoy the magni cent beaches and participate in various other activities all along the coast.
“Our region has seen much progress throughout the last 10 years,” con rmed Milton Segarra, chief executive o cer for Coastal Mississippi. “Coastal destinations are no strangers to issues, both natural and manmade, but Coastal Mississippi has recovered with steadfast resilience and resolve. In fact, January 2020 proved to be the strongest in the last ve years across all major tourism indicators. We look forward to acting as stewards for our beautiful natural resources as we invite visitors to explore The Secret Coast.”
16 | April 2020 www.smliving.net | SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living