(CNN) – Images of the oil spill are horrifying to all of us, especially to the people who live and work in the Gulf. But what's equally upsetting is the shutdown of new work in the oilfields, an industry that provides so many jobs for the region.

The Obama administration said it would lift the ban on new shallow water permits after implementing new safety requirements, but the ban on deep water drilling will continue for many months. That has raised concerns of a second economic disaster in southern Louisiana – first fishing, now oil and gas.

Our John Roberts went down to Port Fourchon, Louisiana to see the pain firsthand.

(CNN) – While most of the coverage of the oil spill catastrophe has focused on Louisiana's marshes and the creatures that call it home, the threat facing the city of New Orleans seems to be flying under the radar.

Major industries in the Big Easy – tourism, seafood, oil – are all in turmoil. New Orleans elected a new mayor just four months ago. He's Mitch Landrieu and he joined us on Wednesday's American Morning in his first live national interview since the oil spill began.

(CNN) – The images of the oil gusher below the Gulf are stunning, but to get a real perspective on the spill you have to see it from above. Hundreds of boats, miles of boom, pools of oil, and fire on the water. Our Rob Marciano went up with the Coast Guard for a look at the Gulf oil spill that you can only see here.

By Bob Ruff and Carol Costello, CNN

(CNN) – While the Obama administration has come up with new rules and regulations for shallow water drilling, it is not releasing any new rules when it comes to new deep water drilling until it figures out what happened with the BP disaster.

It has slapped a 6 month or more moratorium on new deep water drilling and that has the oil industry, lobbyists and some politicians ratcheting up efforts to change the president's mind. For all of these players, one area of special concern is Louisiana’s immense Port Fourchon. It spans 1400 acres and is designed to meet every need an oil company might have.

Chett Chiasson is the executive director of the port. He calls it the “Walmart of the oil and gas industry.” Chaissson is eager to criticize President Obama's 6 month moratorium on new drilling in the Gulf.

That moratorium is affecting 17 oil companies, including BP, Shell and Chevron. Every one of these oil company rigs is serviced by Port Fourchon, from welders to caterers, to those who "taxi" rig workers out to the platforms.

Chiasson told CNN that if the moratorium lasts more than six months, he fears “losing 50% of the business that we have in Port Fourchon.” That would mean, says Chiasson, that rigs would be moved overseas to places such as Brazil’s Santos Basin or South Africa’s Orange Basin, where deep water oil also has been discovered.

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