Hi everybody, it has been a while since I last checked in on the board.

Actually I was working on a short story about a fishing trip I did last year to Galicia, finishing it up around the time of the oil spill. The irony doesn't escape me, of course.

If anyone gets any additional insider-Spain info on the repercussions of this distaster, I would appreciate additional posts.

In an author's note at the end of my story I wrote "People die; places don't." I know Galicia isn't dead and it's people will be resilient, but the land must be weeping.

Churro

I believe Spain sould have taken in the Prestige I must admit that the Spanish government was not prepared for this sort of disaster this is obviously testing the EU's ability to handle disaster and in way it is working since clean up vessels have come from alot of European nations to help clean up the mess. Who sould we blame for this?? I believe first is the companies or what ever entity or entities was in charge of checking the ship for failures and a distant second the Spanish government sould take SOME heat for not being prepared. I hope this never HAPPENS AGAINS as far as im concerned ships carrying this sort of cargo souldn't be off Galicains coast or any other Spanish coast for that matter enough is enough. Any way one good thing did come out of it it showed that Europeans countries are willing to help each other out when one is in need and that is a great thing considering several years ago European countries were busy bombing and killing each other. Saludos

This is so sad . Check out this link. Apparently, the boat is leaking oil from the bottom of the sea, and oil is washing up in Asturias and Cantabria as well. France and Portugal are gearing up to protect/clean up their coastlines. What a tragedy!
http://www.swissinfo.org/sen/Swissinfo.html?siteSect=143&sid=1499486

oil is washing on on the beaches in bizkaia also. So far it hasn´t been too much, i think that they are able to clean it up in a day, but there are more slicks coming. El Correo (spanish)

It is tragic.
Like I said before, the responsible should be flogged mercilessly.

Any Spaniards (or anyone) know WHICH are the BEST organizations where one can get information on HOW TO VOLUNTEER TO HELP with cleanup/support efforts in Galicia??

My ladyfriend in Madrid told me last weekend she had thought to go one weekend but was told they have enough people, OR TOO MANY PEOPLE to help with cleanup efforts. Maybe Red Cross? Other specific organizations?

Hope to hear from you soon. The sooner the better.

Saludos, MadridMan

MadridMan,

This is what I've found:

http://www.elpais.es/especiales/2002/galicia

It has plenty of info. for your ladyfriend, but it's true, more volunteers will be needed later in the process, right now, there are too many (an estimate 10,000 people have travelled to the Galician coast this long-weekend alone to help!), and all the authorities, specially the Galician ones, insist that noone should decide to go without contacting them beforehand.

The news gets worse--now the Prestige is leaking 125 tons of oil per day. It takes about a day for the oil to reach the top. At that rate, it will leak for 480 DAYS!!! Let's hope they can suction off the oil before it hits land. read this link: http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=scienceNews&storyID=1883217

It is horrible... horrible.

Of the 77,000 tons of oil the ship had in its tanks 17,000 went out. Almost all of the coast of Galicia is covered with oil.

Fishermen are aiding to the point of taking the oil with their own hands. People from everywhere in Spain (and also some from other countries) are volunteering to Galicia to help to clean the coasts.

To what the fishermen have lost (the oportunity to fish and take shellfish) it must be added what the tourism is going to loose. In total almost 15% of the richness of Galicia.

National protected parks as the Cies Islands, Albora Island and Corrubedo have been touched. The Rías Baixas are going to suffer it too soon (when the oil can't be stoped cause the wind is pushing them in).

Hundreds of ships (including military, fishing and civil ones) are aiding to clean the sea. Almost 3000 soldiers are also there to aid.

Asturias, Cantabria and the Basque Country are already suffering the problem. Beaches covered with oil.

And this is just 17,000 tons. If the tanks collapse the rest (60,000 tons) would go free, and would get worse because the oil includes water and gets bigger.

Very very sad

Fernando

I'm so impressed to hear about the numbers of volunteers working to clean the beaches of Galicia...it's another indication of just how proud Spanish people are of their beautiful and geographically diverse country!