Most disasters come and go, but the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico just goes on and on.
Now, after more than two months of outright failures and partially successful efforts to contain the leak, a reluctant acceptance seems to have settled in. There’s something surreal about watching the damage continue day after day, knowing that until the relief wells are complete — and successful — there’s little that can be done but to watch and wait and hope.
Down in the Gulf, the situation is quite different — urgent and all too real — as workers struggle to protect the coast, rescue wildlife, and capture what they can to prevent even more oil from fouling the waters.
This week, The Big Picture at boston.com once again brings the reality home, with a set of 37 new photographs.
Three oil-coated white ibis sit in marsh grass on a small island in Bay Barataria near Grand Isle, Louisiana June 13, 2010. These birds are being rescued and transported to the Fort Jackson Rehabilitation Center. Source: boston.com (REUTERS/Sean Gardner)
