you don't know how good you have it
I work in the oil and gas industry. We have quite a few operated production facilities south of New Orleans. I have visited these places and shared a meal with the folks who keep it all pumping. While many people are out of work, these people now have no place to go to work.
This facility and all of the men who work there are out of commission. This particular pump station contained four compressor engines. They were responsible for several thousand barrels of oil production per day. It is hard for me to believe the destruction. These compressors were as large as a train engine and they are gone.
I sat in on a meeting this morning where we discussed how we were going to get these men paid. Then the news got worse. We had to begin discussion on how long we could keep them on the payroll. My heart sank.
We just got this facility back up to full production in May 2005 after Ivan in 2004. It takes a very long time and now with the booming business in the industry, equipment is very difficult to find.
I know this is only a small portion of the people affected by this disaster but they will be out of work for a while and those who do find work will have to travel far to do so. Please keep them in your thoughts.