Oil Spill Can't Be Separated From Katrina: Relief Group

Amid the continuing frenzy surrounding the BP oil spill, now considered the worst environmental disaster in American history, one relief group says that the effects of the spill can't be separated from a previous calamity: 2005's Hurricane Katrina.

Relief group Church World Service (CWS) has drawn particular attention to Plaquemines Parish – a coastal town in Louisiana where the seafood industry is still recovering from Katrina.

"You can't separate Katrina from the oil spill," said Bonnie Vollmering, CWS associate director for domestic emergency response. "In Plaquemines Parish, 100 percent of the houses were destroyed. They're still recovering from Katrina, and now they have the oil spill to deal with."

Committee for Plaquemines Recovery Chairman Benny Puckett told CWS that while the hurricane brought destruction to the parish, the oil spill has destroyed the town's economy.

"It's like a 1-2 punch," Puckett said. "If the economy doesn't recover nothing will."

According to Vollmering, fishermen in the area are "frustrated" with not being able to work, especially with market prices for seafood increasing.

"The price of shrimp has finally come up for them to double or triple what they got last year, and now they can't fish," she said.

And both Vollmering and Puckett agree that clean up for the oil spill could be more complex than recovery efforts for Katrina.

"Natural disasters have a clearer beginning and end date," Vollmering said. "Man-caused disasters like this aren't as firm. We don't know how far into the future we'll need to work."

Puckett noted: "This is such a different type of disaster, it's going to take more commitment to collaborate, and creativity to identify what the needs are. We want to make sure we provide the best kind of help for exactly what's needed."

The officials' remarks come as oil continues to gush from BP's broken well for the 52nd consecutive day.

The federal government has given BP until tomorrow to come up with contingency plans for collecting the lost oil in the case of further failure or adverse weather conditions.

Earlier today, President Obama had "frank conversation" with members of congress urging them to make changes to environmental pollution laws in an "aggressive, forward-leaning way."

One lawmaker, however, House Minority Leader John Boehner, mocked Congress for scheduling multiple hearings on the spill before the leak has been contained.

"You know, why don't we get the oil stopped, all right? Figure out what the hell went wrong, and then have the hearing and get the damn law fixed," Boehner said.

Meanwhile, BP has said that it will speed up its payment of claims to businesses and individuals affected by the spill.

The company says it will take workers' seasonal earnings in account in the payouts.

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