News Articles
From above the site of the spill, there's a different sense of scope
Tallahassee Democrat - May 6, 2010
OVER THE GULF OF MEXICO — The sharp smell of petroleum permeated the air Thursday above the sunken remains of the Deepwater Horizon rig that blew up more than two weeks ago.
A rainbow sheen of oil surrounded the site and miles of Gulf of Mexico waters were marked by a leading edge of rust-colored oil-and-water froth from the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster.
A four-story, 100-ton cofferdam floated on the ship Joe Griffin, near the new rig at the site where an April 20 explosion killed 11. Oil giant BP hopes the containment structure will control up to 85 percent of the 5,000 barrels a day still pouring forth from the blown well nearly a mile under the surface.
Up to 20 vessels were within sight of the incident site that's 130 miles southwest of New Orleans.
Calm seas and light wind kept the slick from Florida's shores, though it began to hit Louisiana's barrier islands.
"The weather can be your friend or foe," said U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Steve Poulin, sector commander for the unified-command response in Mobile, Ala.
Poulin flew to Mississippi to meet with Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.
Napolitano said she hopes the containment box is successful, but is preparing for the worst. BP began lowering the container Thursday but won't know for days if it's successful.
"I hope it works. But we are still proceeding as if it won't. If it does, of course, that will be a major positive development," Napolitano said. "The possibility remains that the BP oil spill could turn into an unprecedented environmental disaster. The possibility remains that it will be somewhat less."
The mass of the spill is still offshore as preparations continue.
State Rep. Greg Evers, R-Baker, was on a U.S. Coast Guard flight over the spill sight Thursday. He said he commended the efforts under way by federal agencies and BP and hoped for continued favorable weather.
"The longer it stays off shore the better off we are," Evers said, though he predicted Florida's coast will likely be hit. "Ultimately, we'll probably see some."
The friendly weather allows time for further protective measures and helps with the millions of gallons of oil in the Gulf as sunlight and calm seas allow for more surface oil to evaporate, Poulin said.
"This remains a serious problem," Poulin said. "But we don't see significant progression northward" in the next 72 hours.
Among actions through Thursday:
1,000 gallons of oil were burned off Wednesday in controlled fires, Florida's Department of Environmental Protection said. More burns were set for Thursday.
Copyright ©2010
