It was a sad day for the masses of fishermen, boat captains, deckhands, and the whole Gulf Coast community - a sad and tragic day for America. Wednesday, June 23, 2010, 64 days after 11 were killed in the BP Horizon Offshore drill rig collapse and explosion, the disaster claims another life.
No, I am not talking about a pelican, shrimp, turtle, or any other form of wildlife... I am talking about a human being.
Wednesday morning, shortly after boarding his charter fishing boat, "Rookie," Allen Kruse, the 55 year old, very likeable, captain of the vessel was found by a deckhand in the wheelhouse, a bullet to the head.
The coroner ruled the death of Kruse a suicide, and although there was no note indicating what caused Kruse's despair, there is little doubt that the calamity caused by the BP oil rig collapse and the impending collapse of the fisheries played a role in this first known suicide in the wake of the devastation.
Not only do medical authorities have the overwhelming task of preventing disease and death from the toxic oil that continues to spew from the gulf floor by the millions of gallons per day, but they must also be vigilante in monitoring the mental health of the many families and individuals that lie in the oil's path of destruction.
The south has always been an economically depressed region. Now, with this disaster before the coast residents has fully recovered from Katrina, a watchful eye must be trained on the mental health of the people, and that is where efforts to control the destruction must be concentrated.
See also: See also: More problems in the Gulf of Mexico
Wonder what effect hurricane season will have on the oil spill?
Worst oil spill ever and President Obama wants to "kick some ass" instead of accept responsibility
Worst environmental disaster ever and Americans are wondering who's in charge
Gulf oil spill disaster can be partly blamed on environmentalists and the Obama Administration
Will we ever know the impact of the collapsed BP oil rig and who will be blamed for this disaster?
Also see my Sacramento Science News page for other science news.
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