Oil Hurricane to Hit New Orleans

At 5,000 barrels per day, the leak from the blowout of the Deepwater Horizon is spreading at a rate that would surpass the amount of oil dumped by the Exxon Valdez in another 45 days. While the leak has not been plugged, BP and Transocean are trying to install an underwater dome to trap the oil near the sea floor from where it can then be funneled to the surface for collection. The dome procedure has never been tried at this depth (about 5,000 ft. below the surface). If the attempt fails, there will be nothing to check the rapid advance of the spill towards New Orleans and the fragile Gulf Coast.

Details from the NOAA on the spill, as well as an up-to-the-minute alert system after the break…

• Winds are forecast to become strong (20+ kts) and blow from the southeast starting tomorrow and continuing through the weekend, which will continue to push surface oil towards shore
• NOAA oil-spill trajectory analyses indicate that oil continues to move towards shore.
• 100,000’ of oil-containment booms (or floating barriers) have been deployed as a precaution to protect sensitive areas in the Louisiana area.
• The effects of oil on sensitive habitats and shorelines in four states (LA, MS, AL, and FL) are being evaluated should oil from the incident make landfall in appreciable quantities
• NOAA’s Assessment and Restoration Division is evaluating concerns about potential injuries of oil and dispersants to fishes, human use of fisheries, marine mammals, turtles, and sensitive resources

·  Baseline aerial surveys to assess marine life were conducted today with personnel from NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), these will continue as needed

A link to up-to-the-minute NOAA emergency updates can be found here.

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