Gulf Coast

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Tar Balls Hit Fla. Beaches as Obama Returns to Gulf

Residents plan 'last swim' before more oil arrives

(Newser) - Beachgoers in Florida got their first taste of the Gulf oil spill today as tar balls—some as large as hubcaps—washed up on Panhandle beaches. BP crews at some locations swept up the refuse, instructing visitors not to touch the balls. Although Florida has yet to declare swimming in...

BP Makes 12 Spillcams Public

Live feeds show disaster in action

(Newser) - BP might be facing criticism for hiding the environmental damage caused by the Gulf spill, but it's now tougher to hide anything in the repair effort—the company has made all 12 live video feeds at the ruptured well available to the public. A perusal of the Spillcam website shows...

Hurricane Forecaster Sees 'Hell of a Year' Ahead

Look out, Gulf Coast

(Newser) - Just what the Gulf Coast needs: a prediction that the Atlantic is in for a "hell of a year" in hurricanes. A leading forecaster tells Reuters that a shift in weather patterns over the last month suggests the season will be busy. "The numbers are going to go...

Gulf States to BP: You Foot Our Tourism Ad Bill

The $20B Gulf Coast industry worried about summer

(Newser) - The environment and the fishing industry aren't the only ones losing big because of the Gulf oil spill: The $20 billion Gulf Coast tourism industry fears that the constant doom-and-gloom media coverage will decimate summer tourism in the region. That's why Mississippi, Florida, and Alabama are calling for BP to...

Much of Spilled Oil Already Gone

Around 35% probably evaporated, model suggests

(Newser) - The Deepwater Horizon disaster has led to the release of million of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, but figuring out where it all is has proven kind of hard. Roughly 4.6 million gallons seem to have pooled into a shape-shifting blob off the coast of Louisiana,...

Feds: Rushed Shrimpers May Be Killing Turtles
 Shrimpers
May Be Killing Turtles: Feds
not oil spill

Shrimpers May Be Killing Turtles: Feds

Shortcuts ahead of oil slick could have caused 3 dozen deaths

(Newser) - About 3 dozen endangered sea turtles have washed up on Gulf Coast beaches in recent days—with no trace of oil—and the mysterious deaths have triggered a spat between federal authorities and shrimp fishermen. Marine officials suspect that fishermen, desperate to maximize their catch before the oil slick moves...

BP Building 'Containment Dome' to Slow Spill

'Giant iron funnel' will pump oil to surface

(Newser) - The firm at the center of the Gulf Coast spill is building a giant dome to slow the spread of oil. BP is constructing a 4-story, 70-ton contraption to lower over one of the leaks. The BBC likens the device to a "giant iron funnel" that "resembles a...

Obama on Gulf Coast: 'BP Will Be Paying the Bill'

In Louisiana, president gets firsthand look at effects of ruptured oil well

(Newser) - President Obama visited Louisiana this afternoon, seeing for himself the effects of the continuing oil spill and promising an "all-hands-on-deck" reaction, the Times-Picayune reports. "BP is responsible for this leak. BP will be paying the bill," he said. "But as president of the United States, I...

Gulf Coast Dreads Oil's Creep to Shore

Scope of disaster could be epic

(Newser) - President Obama headed for the Gulf Coast today, where all eyes are focused on the massive oil slick threatening to swallow the environment and economy of American shores from Louisiana to Florida. With tourist beaches, fragile marshes, marine life, and lush fishing grounds at stake, experts tried in vain to...

Gulf Oil Spill Reaches Land
 Gulf Oil Spill Reaches Land 

Gulf Oil Spill Reaches Land

Spill could become worst US environmental disaster in decades

(Newser) - Crews scrambled to protect wetlands and fishermen rushed to scoop up shrimp as oil began to wash ashore on the Gulf Coast last night. Officials warn that the spill from a BP rig—which is five times bigger than had been believed—could be America's worst environmental disaster in decades....

11 Missing After US Oil Rig Blows

No deaths reported in explosion off Gulf Coast

(Newser) - Authorities were searching early today for up to 11 missing workers who evacuated after an explosion on an oil drilling platform off the coast of Louisiana. The explosion happened around 10pm last night, while 126 workers were aboard the platform, a Coast Guard spokesman said. No deaths were reported, though...

FEMA Too Slow on Katrina Trailer Toxins: Federal Report

Agency didn't announce toxin find until 2 years after people moved in

(Newser) - FEMA was too slow to deal with reports of toxins in trailers used to house Hurricane Katrina victims, potentially posing a “significant health risk” to thousands along the Gulf Coast, a Homeland Security report says. Residents of the trailers had reported bloody noses, headaches, and worse as a result...

Swine Flu Hits US Troops in Kuwait

First cases reported in the Gulf region

(Newser) - In the first appearance of swine flu in the Gulf region, 18 American soldiers have tested positive for the disease, reports the BBC. All affected troops have left Kuwait and received medical attention. The soldiers at the military base—a logistics outpost for troops serving in Iraq—did not come...

10 Places Already Feeling Global Warming's Heat

Hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast has taken the brunt of climate change so far

(Newser) - While some consider global warming a cautionary tale of things to come, its effects are already being felt all over the world, reports Scientific American. The worst-hit:
  • Darfur: The deserts have been crippled by a decades-long drought, and can no longer support farmers or their grazing herds.
  • America's Gulf Coast:
...

Media Focus Elsewhere Hurts Gulf Coast Relief Efforts

Media coverage pales in comparison to Katrina disaster

(Newser) - Relief organizations are struggling to raise funds for their work in hurricane-battered areas of Texas and Louisiana, a marked difference from 2005, when millions flowed in to help Katrina victims. “The camera and the lights didn't stay on” this time, a Red Cross worker tells MSNBC, distracted by fresher...

Ike Boosts Gas Prices Up to $5

Prices jump 5 cents nationwide as Gulf shuts down nearly 100% oil production

(Newser) - Gas prices have shot up an average of 5 cents nationwide in the wake of Hurricane Ike, which has shut down almost 100% of oil and natural gas production in the Gulf Coast region. Gas prices in the Gulf area have risen as high as $5 per gallon, and an...

Ike Hits Fuel Production, May Cause Shortages

Experts warn of shortage for 'extended period'

(Newser) - Hurricane Ike’s assault on the Gulf Coast has closed over 19% of US refinery capacity and may hurt delivery nationwide, Bloomberg reports. At least 13 Texas refineries have shut down operations, which may trigger a gasoline shortage in the southern and eastern US—and it may last a while,...

Keys, Caribbean Isles Evacuate for Ike

Category 3 storm expected to hit Turks and Caicos today

(Newser) - Tourists and locals are fleeing the Florida Keys and Caribbean islands as Hurricane Ike closes in today, CNN reports. Forecasters predict Ike will slam into the Turks and Caicos islands late today or early tomorrow with Category 3 winds near 115 mph and 9- to 12-foot-high waves. The storm is...

1M Lose Power as Gustav Rolls Through La.

Oil, fishing industry slammed rains ease in New Orleans

(Newser) - Hurricane Gustav left more than 1 million without power today as it tore roofs from homes, toppled trees, and flooded roads in the heart of Louisiana's fishing and oil industry, the AP reports. Many of the 2 million people who left coastal Louisiana watched TV coverage from shelters and hotel...

Oil Down Sharply as Gustav Weakens

With crude at $111 a barrel, analysts surprised at market's tame reaction to threat

(Newser) - Oil prices tumbled to $111 a barrel today as Hurricane Gustav weakened along the Gulf Coast, posing less of a threat than forecast to oil drilling and refining operations. A stronger dollar also contributed to the average retail gas price being down slightly at $3.686 a gallon, the AP...

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