New Orleans and the oil disaster (Plaquemine: Home Depot, employment, construction)

[gypsystar]

My husband and I are thisclose to deciding to move to New Orleans next month, but I am worried about the affect the oil disaster (I refuse to call it a spill- it is so much more than that!) has on the city.

I am a total hypochondriac so I am concerned about breathing oil fumes - does the city smell of oil all of the time now? Do you think the city's water supply will be tainted by the oil at all?

We had been thinking about moving to NOLA prior to the oil nightmare and I don't want it to ruin our move. In spite of all that is going on in the city now, I still feel drawn to move there.

Also, do you think the disaster will impact all industries? My husband will be looking for a warehouse or construction job, and we are worried that the unemployment rate will go up in NOLA now. Thanks in advance for the help and insight! We're really hoping to be New Orleanians someday soon! Athough, yes, I DO pronouce the city's name like New OrLEANZ, lol!

[Pook77]

Gotta work on that pronounciation before you get here . New OR-lins (roll it together with me now) LOL! Just joking, I'm sure you just couldn't get the idea through typing...

Anyhow, all I know is there's no oil smell right now. People are convincing themselves it's here and insist they are smelling it, but there have been no official reports of it. I live on the lake, work in the CBD and occasionally on the Northshore, and I hang out Uptown. There are just normal "hot summer" smells - which are not good smells, but they're certainly not from the spill. There's always a gas/diesel smell in most areas from construction too. Believe me, if something in the air was different, I'd be one of the first to notice.

With the moratorium on deep water drilling, sectors of all employment will be affected. Oil and seafood are such huge parts of the area, things will probably trickle down to other industries. I wouldn't move without knowing you had a job first but that's just me. Things are so uncertain right now.

[Innotech]

trust me, the smell of oil wouldnt be the most off putting scent you would encounter in New Orleans...
That said, if I lived there I wouldnt be too concerned. Oil isnt going to just infiltrate the water supply from out in the ocean. New Orleans is a bit inland from the Gulf and any oil lapping up gets filtered by the marshlands and pushed back outward by the Mississippi River. Lake Pontchartrain itself is pretty cut off, with only a tiny opening into the Gulf on its east side. IF you were moving out to Plaquemines or Lafourche parish, then yeah Id be concerned, but not inland New Orleans.

ALso, Id like to mention that oil spills sometimes happen on the mississippi River itself, including a 400,000 gallon one near the city, so its not like they arent prepared to defend against it.

[gypsystar]

Thanks for the replies! I REALLY appreciate the insight!

[vman650]

Why not visit a place before making a decision to move there? Seems like a very radical thing to do.

[bustaduke]

Originally Posted by gypsystar

My husband and I are thisclose to deciding to move to New Orleans next month, but I am worried about the affect the oil disaster (I refuse to call it a spill- it is so much more than that!) has on the city.

I am a total hypochondriac so I am concerned about breathing oil fumes - does the city smell of oil all of the time now? Do you think the city's water supply will be tainted by the oil at all?

We had been thinking about moving to NOLA prior to the oil nightmare and I don't want it to ruin our move. In spite of all that is going on in the city now, I still feel drawn to move there.

Also, do you think the disaster will impact all industries? My husband will be looking for a warehouse or construction job, and we are worried that the unemployment rate will go up in NOLA now. Thanks in advance for the help and insight! We're really hoping to be New Orleanians someday soon! Athough, yes, I DO pronouce the city's name like New OrLEANZ, lol!

Nope, don't smell the oil at all. And the oil would have to travel up the river a long ways before getting into the water supply and that won't happen.

As far as jobs, I would make sure you have one before moving. You may be able to find one at a warehouse before finding construction work. You will be competing against the Mexicans out front of Lowe's and Home depot who work for pennies on the dollar.

And don't forget that with the oil in the gulf and no longer drilling that these workers without jobs are also looking for any type of work. Not a good time to not have a job in this area.

busta

[Frangipani]

I agree with what everyone else has said. I live in the Garden District and haven't smelled any oil. Water tastes the same as usual (but I do use a Brita filter).

I'd be a little worried about finding a job too if you don't have one set up, just because so many people who typically would be working in the oil and fishing industries are going to be looking (I would think).

[rburnett]

As far as the water supply, our city water comes from the river. The oil will have a very hard time getting into the river let alone travel 100 miles upstream to the point where the city intakes are located. The water is perfectly safe.

[BradfromNO]

Originally Posted by Pook77

Gotta work on that pronounciation before you get here . New OR-lins (roll it together with me now) LOL! Just joking, I'm sure you just couldn't get the idea through typing...

Work on this, it is gospel and will REALLY help you blend.
As for Oil, it ain't comin up the RIVER, but a few passes and it's in Lake Pontchartrain. But I think
the current and weather and location should keep that from happening. Will you find a good shrimp poboy for
5 years? Probably not if it keeps getting worse. Make no mistake, this is going to devastate the
gulf coast marshland. And who knows, maybe they will fix it in August. Then we will only have to deal with
it through 2010, and cleanup maybe to forever. But jobs? Nah. Those who shrimp will clean. Those
who fish will move to better water. Everything with fins will cost three times as much. If they STOP
with the dispersant, maybe the oysters will make it. LA is uniquely qualified to survive this disaster.
WE WILL have a good time and enjoy life. But if people got sick of us after a year of Katrina, Katrina,
Katrina, wait til THIS sinks all the way in.

And yes, the city smells like oil every day, especially around lunchtime!

[aab7855]

Hasn't affected us. Please spread the word, this is ridiculous