PENSACOLA, Fla. — National Incident Commander Thad Allen late
Thursday ordered BP to begin evacuating the Deepwater Horizon oil-spill
site after the National Hurricane Center predicted sustained winds of
more than 55 mph would reach the area perhaps as early as Saturday.
"Due to the risk that Tropical Storm Bonnie poses to the safety of
the nearly 2,000 people responding to the BP oil spill at the well site,
many of the vessels and rigs will be preparing to move out of harm's
way beginning tonight," Allen said. "This includes the rig drilling the
relief well that will ultimately kill the well, as well as other vessels
needed for containment."
Allen said he had directed BP to leave the well sealed during the
evacuation and that monitoring would continue until the last possible
moment. He said BP has been told to move ships guiding remotely operated
vehicles providing a video feed from the capped well last and to return
them first.
A National Hurricane Center projection of likely 56 mph wind speeds
showed Bonnie sweeping across the Deepwater Horizon site 40 miles off
the Louisiana coast in 120 hours. The storm has caused flooding in
Puerto Rico, Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
Other developments Thursday:
Obama visit: The administration said President Obama and his family would travel to the Florida Gulf Coast for the Aug. 14 weekend.
Investigation begins: Acting Inspector General Mary
Kendall of the Interior Department said in a letter to House Republicans
that she was looking into accusations that scientists' views were
improperly used to justify a federal moratorium on deep-water drilling.
Fishing reopened: The National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration reopened 26,388 square miles of Gulf waters
to commercial and recreational fishing.