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Building barrier islands.

12 june 2010. Wetlands of Plaquemines Parish, South Louisiana.
An army chinook CH-47 twin rotor helicopter on a sandbagging mission. Sand bags attempt to join the dots and connect what little remains of fragile barrier islands. It is unlikely the bags will survive a hurricane. Where once there was land, there is only the mere outline of old canals and channels, many dug by oil companies to pump their product ashore with little regard to the effects the chopping up of the wetlands would have. Chronic erosion of the land, a football pitch every 50 minutes, greatly reduced protection from hurricanes and impending BP oil slicks is the direct result of mismanagement and utter disregard for the environment. The army corps of engineers and the oil companies, together with inept government have a great deal to answer for.
View from a blackhawk helicopter flown by airmen of the Nebraska Air National Guard over southern Louisiana as they assist in the dumping of sand bags onto barrier islands in a vain attempt to prevent BP oil from getting into the inner wetlands. As valiant as their efforts are, the dumping of sand bags may well prove to be a complete waste of manpower, resources and money. A hurricane will likely roll over and blast through any sandbag 'barrier island,' blowing thousands of large white plastic bags far and wide across the landscape. That will really help the environment!
Meanwhile, the mighty Mississippi river runs straight out to sea nearby, her valuable land building sediment carried far out into deep ocean as the region struggles to find a way to reverse the disastrous effects of man's interference with her flow.
Photo credit; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com

Filename: 12june10-helos056.JPG
Copyright: Charlie Varley www.varleypix.com
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Contained in galleries: USA Troops/Soldiers, 12june10-helos

12 june 2010. Wetlands of Plaquemines Parish, South Louisiana. <br />
An army chinook CH-47 twin rotor helicopter on a sandbagging mission. Sand bags attempt to join the dots and connect what little remains of fragile barrier islands. It is unlikely the bags will survive a hurricane. Where once there was land, there is only the mere outline of old canals and channels, many dug by oil companies to pump their product ashore with little regard to the effects the chopping up of the wetlands would have. Chronic erosion of the land, a football pitch every 50 minutes, greatly reduced protection from hurricanes and impending BP oil slicks is the direct result of mismanagement and utter disregard for the environment. The army corps of engineers and the oil companies, together with inept government have a great deal to answer for. <br />
View from a blackhawk helicopter flown by airmen of the Nebraska Air National Guard over southern Louisiana as they assist in the dumping of sand bags onto barrier islands in a vain attempt to prevent BP oil from getting into the inner wetlands. As valiant as their efforts are, the dumping of sand bags may well prove to be a complete waste of manpower, resources and money. A hurricane will likely roll over and blast through any sandbag 'barrier island,' blowing thousands of large white plastic bags far and wide across the landscape. That will really help the environment! <br />
Meanwhile, the mighty Mississippi river runs straight out to sea nearby, her valuable land building sediment carried far out into deep ocean as the region struggles to find a way to reverse the disastrous effects of man's interference with her flow. <br />
Photo credit; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com