GRAND ISLE, La. — The crashing waves and gusting winds churned up by Tropical Storm Alex put the Gulf of Mexico oil spill in Mother Nature’s hands Tuesday, turning many fighting the disaster into spectators.
Oil-scooping ships in the gulf steamed to safe refuge because of rough seas, which are expected to last for days.
Officials scrambled to reposition booms to protect the coast and had to pull barges that had been blocking oil from reaching sensitive wetlands.
Those operations could soon get a boost, however, as the U.S. accepted offers of help from 12 countries and international organizations. Japan, for instance, was sending two skimmers and booms.
Alex is projected to stay far from the spill zone and is not expected to affect recovery efforts at the site of the blown-out well. But the storm’s outer edges complicated the cleanup as the oil turned whitecaps red. Waves were as high as 12 feet in parts of the gulf, according to the National Weather Service.
U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Dave French said all skimming efforts had been halted for now off Louisiana’s coast.
Wayne Hebert, who helps manage skimming operations for BP, said all skimmers near the shore were idled off the coasts of Florida, Alabama and Mississippi. “Everyone is in because of weather, whether it’s thunderstorms or (high) seas,” he said. French said workers were using their time off the water to replenish supplies and perform maintenance work.
In Grand Isle, dozens of boats from skiffs to huge shrimping boats were tied up at the docks — rocked by waves even in the sheltered marina.
“It’s really rough out there,” said Coast Guardsman Zac Crawford. “We want the oil cleaned up, but we want people to be safe. We don’t want to lose anyone working on the spill.”
On the beach, cleanup workers struggled with winds that blew sand into their eyes and mouth, and humidity that left the blowing sand stuck to their skin.
Farther inland, local officials worried that the weather could hamper efforts to keep the oil out of Lake Pontchartrain, which so far has not been affected. The brackish body of water, connected to the gulf by narrow passes, is a recreational haven for New Orleans.
The rough seas and winds could actually help cleanup crews. The waves, combined with dispersants sprayed by the Coast Guard, have helped break a 6- by 30-mile oil patch into smaller patches, Coast Guard Cmdr. Joe Higgens said.
Meanwhile, gas could become cheaper at some BP pumps after the oil giant offered to give its gas distributors money back for every gallon of gas they purchase to offset a consumer boycott.
