Letter to the Editor

MOBILE, Ala. — We dodged a bullet from Hurricane Laura. Hurricane Sally is headed this way, expected to be a Category 2 Hurricane when it makes landfall on Tuesday.

Once again, we will be on the wet side. Meteorologists are predicting catastrophic and life-threatening rain and resultant flooding.

Is this the straw that breaks the camel’s back?

Is this the hurricane that finally breaks the dam around Alabama Power’s unlined coal ash pond at Plant Barry on the Mobile River? What happens then?

Alabama Power says, “sorry, not sorry” and pays billions of dollars in lawsuits for generations to come (charged back to us, their customers) while the poor people suffer from the toxins released into Mobile Bay and futile attempts at “containment” and “clean up.”

All these extreme weather events (drought, flood, fires and more intense and longer-lasting storms) are not “Acts of Mother Nature.” They are caused by us not admitting that we are to blame for global warming, especially since the science is clear.

What are we to do besides feel sick to our stomachs at what we have done to God’s creation? Help. Write, call and visit all your state and federal elected officials, including our Public Service Commission. Attend hearings, rise up, speak out and join voices with those already trying to correct this public health hazard of radioactive, toxic heavy metals. Join and support Mobile Baykeeper, Mobile Bay Sierra Club, Mobile Environmental Justice Action Coalition (MEJAC), Gulf Coast Creation Care, etc. (and news organizations that actually cover the story).

Get involved. Don’t just let it happen. Do something positive to make a difference.

It is hard to boycott our utility provider, but insist they transition immediately to clean, renewable energy (wind, solar, water/tide). Become a stockholder (Southern Company) and demand they close and move Plant Barry’s unlined coal ash pond to an inland, lined pit.

Hold your nose and vote Democratic because they are the only party talking about the Climate Crisis. It is no joke. It is your kids’ and grandkids’ future and it isn’t pretty unless we do what has to be done.

C’mon people. Be honest. Be brave. We can and must do it.

Riva Fralick
Silverhill, Alabama