Obama Goes to Gulf, Talks to Fishers About Disaster

"Calling the expanding plume of oil rising from the floor of the Gulf of Mexico a crisis of dramatic proportion, President Barack Obama told Louisiana oyster farmers and the country Sunday that the full force of the federal government was focused on assisting southeast Louisiana.

'We are dealing with a massive and potentially unprecedented environmental disaster,' Obama said. 'The oil that is still leaking from the well can seriously damage the economy and the environment of our Gulf states, and it could extend for a long time. It could jeopardize the livelihoods of thousands of Americans who call this place home.'"

Richard Rainey reports for the New Orleans Times-Picayune May 2, 2010.