ATC has compiled quick facts and actions for musicians and their fans on how best to direct donations and support to two recent events: the BP oil spill disaster in Louisiana and the recent floods in Nashville.
BP OIL SPILL DISASTER
- British Petroleum’s (BP) Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded and caught fire on Tuesday, April 20th, killing eleven workers. When the oil rig sank, the pipe that connected the rig to the well broke and fell 5,000 feet to the ocean’s floor with oil escaping from either end of the pipe and at two other points.
- BP Officials, the EPA and Homeland Security are scrambling to figure out how to contain the massive spill. New estimates indicate the spill will be the worst in history.
- The four states that will be impacted by the spill are Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.
-Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal declared a state of emergency on Thursday as 10 wildlife management areas and refuges in his state and neighboring Mississippi are in the oil plume’s path.
-The Gulf of Mexico provides jobs, food, and recreation to millions of people. As a marine habitat, it is a national treasure that must be preserved.
-The oil spill threatens billions of dollars of coastal restoration projects — wetlands provide natural barriers that help protect communities. It is estimated that for every 3-4 miles of healthy coastal wetlands a storm surge must travel over, the surge is diminished by one foot. Additionally, levees fronted by wetlands and coastal forests are thought to have held up far better than those fronted by open-water.
Tweet or post the below links and actions:
Demand the government do more to stop BP’s massive Gulf oil spill: http://bit.ly/aWhtD4
Learn more about BP’s Gulf Oil Spill: http://bit.ly/at7wRV
FLOODS IN TENNESSEE
- Heavy storms battered the Southeast over the weekend, swelling rivers to historic levels. The storms and floods have caused 28 deaths, 19 of them in Tennessee, to date. Hundreds of people have been forced to evacuate.
- On Monday, May 3rd, the Cumberland River crested at 51.8 feet and flooded Nashville and the surrounding areas. By Tuesday morning the water level had begun to fall.
- President Obama declared four Tennessee counties to be major disaster areas and made federal money available for the areas.
Tweet or post the below links and actions:
How you can help Nashville flood victims: Link http://bit.ly/9w2oTB
Donate: Nashville Area Red Cross is accepting donations via text. Text to 90999 from your cell phone. You will be charged $10, and a $10 donation will be made to the Nashville Red Cross. You can also call 615-250-4300 to make a donation.
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