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During Memorial Day weekend, while other Philadelphians were busy stoking up the grill or enjoying a family vacation at the Shore, two recent college graduates spent their holiday conceiving a rather startling plan.
Disturbed by ongoing reports of the April 20 BP oil spill, they decided to pack their bags, head down to Louisiana June 3 and witness firsthand the devastation in the Gulf region.
“We came up with the idea … as a tribute to all the veterans who have fought for something spectacular,” Matthew Tucker, a former Seventh-Street-and-Washington-Avenue resident, said.
Tucker and his friend, Gordon Rhoads, both 2010 graduates of Arcadia University, had a further plan to apprise Philadelphians of the situation and started a blog, Restore the Gulf, on which they documented their experiences in Louisiana through photography, video and the written word.
“In our area, especially in Philadelphia, we’re getting so much of the maligned news stories, the half-truths,” Tucker said.
Before driving south, they assigned themselves specific duties. Rhoads, thanks to his talent for organization and networking, acted as chief of operations while Tucker took care of the media aspect with his background in avant-garde film work. With the help of a HD GoPro Hero camera, which can film underwater, as well as in wind speeds up to 100 miles per hour, he planned to bring a more immediate view of the site to followers of the blog that gets about 900 views each day.
Shortly afterwards, they were joined in their endeavors by Christopher Belles, Tucker’s childhood friend, who has a Bachelor of Science in neuroscience, was and provided the team with an understanding of scientific terminology, as well as a precautionary knowledge of the dangers involved in dealing with an oil spill.
Since returning on June 10, the team has received numerous e-mails from people interested in hosting fundraisers including one hosted by Geekadelphia that took place last night at Tattooed Mom, 530 South St., where donations as well as items such as various gift cards, canned food and children’s clothing and books were collected. Those who donated were entered in a raffle for prize packs from the Academy of Natural Sciences, Eastern State Penitentiary and Brave New Worlds Comics among others.
“The volunteer response to go down there and the contributions that are being made — just on Restore the Gulf’s behalf — have warmed me so much,” Tucker said. “That’s why we’re there. That’s Restore the Gulf’s final mission: To take ownership of the spill and not watch it through the media.”
The three 24 year olds set out at approximately midnight June 3 to drive 1,200 miles to New Orleans in a straight run that lasted about 22 hours. They soon discovered just how unique this grueling trip was, as they were the only volunteers to come from a city located so far away from the disaster.
After their arrival, much of their time was spent locating an already-established charity in need of volunteers. They soon contacted the Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans, through the United Way. The trio’s primary work consisted of assisting the nearly 3,000 families of fishermen deprived of their livelihoods. The project entailed detailing the needs and financial situations of the families — from assessing rent rates and mortgages to factoring weekly spending on groceries — as well as eventually compiling the information gathered.
“And out of those 3,000, all of which do not have a steady source of income now, only 78 have received financial reimbursement,” Tucker said.
It was not until June 5, that they finally witnessed the sight of the leak. During a trip to Grand Isle, La., they noted that one-third of the beaches were partitioned by a large orange pipeline, forming a barrier along the shoreline five miles long.
Inspired by the catastrophic scene that opened up before him, Tucker jumped over the barrier and began taking video footage of the oil spill.
“Within 10 seconds, there was a three-tier National Guard response,” Tucker said. “Two Humvees coming from both sides of the beach and an aerial helicopter overhead. …They came up to us and said, ‘Give us your shoes. You’re lucky we’re not arresting you.’”
Tucker went on to describe that the site of the leak is known as a hot zone.
“A hot zone means that it is at a caustic toxicology level, because if anything comes in contact with [the oil] — shoes, items, clothing — you need to be decontaminated,” he said.
They soon learned this effect extends to the sea creatures and wildlife located in the Gulf region, particularly affecting the Louisiana state bird, the brown pelican. After feeding in the waters and contaminating their undersides with oil, the pelicans return to their nests coating the eggs and thereby significantly decreasing the chances that their hatchlings will survive.
“Within pop culture, last year was the year of Lady Gaga. And this year, I think it’s taking the angle of the BP oil spill,” Tucker said. “This is not a spill. A spill is when a few barrels of oil fall off an oil rig. This is an uncontrolled release of oil that has no solution.”
Currently back in Philadelphia to gather funds and support, Tucker and Rhoads will be accompanied by Sara K. Lewis upon returning to Louisiana July 1 to continue providing relief to the fishermen’s families and to foster long-term relationships to ensure they will be taken care of during the holidays, as well as early next year before the fishing season starts once again.
The team is recruiting volunteers, to whom they will provide an agenda, financial assistance for the trip and details on the best accommodations, as well as campaigning for the supplies so crucial to ongoing relief efforts.
“Everybody in Philadelphia is really getting behind this mission,” he said. “I know the charity of Philadelphians firsthand: I moved here in 2004. If there’s something that the people of this city can help with, they do and do it well.”
For more information on their endeavors, visit www.restoringthegulf.blogspot.com.
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