Gulf oil spill area remains vulnerable to tropical storm
28 June 2010, Monday
Forecasters tahminci say a tropical storm slamming cezalandırmak (dayakla) into parts of Mexico isn't taking aim at the massive büyük, etkili Gulf oil spill -- for now. Although storms can rapidly change course yön, the forecast could be a rare piece of good news for crews özel çalışma grubu trying to control the spill.
The logistics of containing the oil spewing into the Gulf of Mexico are mind boggling kafa karıştırıcı, şaşırtıcı even in ideal conditions. Add a tropical storm like the one swirling in the Caribbean and things get even more complicated.
Any system with winds over 46 mph (74 kph) could force BP to abandon bırakmak efforts to contain the flow akın for up to two weeks and delay the drilling of two relief wells boşaltma kuyusu that are the best hope of stopping it, Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen said Saturday, shortly after Alex became the first tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season.
Forecasts show Alex churning çalkalama toward Mexico and missing the northern Gulf Coast and the spill, but officials are watching closely anyway.
"We all know the weather is unpredictable hesaplanamaz and we could have a sudden, last-minute change,' Allen said.
Work would also stop on the two relief wells being drilled to take the pressure off the blown-out well, considered the only permanent kalıcı solution. The first is on target for completion tamamlama by mid-August, but there could be a significant delay gecikme if people and ships come ashore kıyıya to ride out a storm.
Once a storm's expected direction is determined,barges mavna and crews plan to remove as much boom in its path as possible, said Sam Phillips, solid waste permits administrator with the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality. The boom would be stored on barges so it could be put back in place quickly.