1. What was the cause of the oil spill?
A BP oil-drilling rig, the Deepwater Horizon, exploded on April 20. The rig sustained three leaks that crews have been unable to stop.
2. How does this spill compare to other oil spills?
The spill began leaking about 42,000 gallons per day. If it continues at this degree, it could potentially become the largest oil spill in history.
3. What are the affected areas?
There are currently response centers in Pensacola, Fla, Venice, La, Mobile, Ala, and Pascagoula and Biloxi, Miss. The oil hasn’t reached the shore yet, but once it does it could affect several areas of land along the gulf coast.
4. How has the government and BP responded?
Governor Bobby Jindal declared the spill a state of emergency nine days after the explosion. President Barack Obama visited the coast three days later to assess the situation himself and assure Americans that the government was working toward relief. BP, the company responsible for the spill, has listed a phone number on its website for potential volunteers.
5. How can you help?
The phone number of BP’s volunteer hotline is 1-866-448-5816. Students can get involved locally by contacting Lauren Mauser, president of Disaster Science and Management Association, at lodsma1@gmail.com or Jonathan Carpenter, president of the SCHOLR, the Student Coalition to Help the Oil Leak Relief, via the Facebook group “LSU SCHOLR”.