General

Oil everywhere

Mississippi, Florida and Alabama brace for impact

Millions of litres of thick, black oil are quickly spreading through the Gulf of Mexico, following a drilling rig explosion off the coast of Louisiana last week. On Thursday night, oil began to seep through Louisiana’s coastal wetlands. On Saturday, the spill is expected to hit the shores of Mississippi, before slamming into the beaches of Alabama and Florida on Monday. “I am frightened,” said David Kennedy of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “This is a very, very big thing. And the efforts that are going to be required to do anything about it, especially if it continues on, are just mind-boggling.” To make matters worse, high waves and rain storms have prevented the U.S Coast Guard from beginning to skim oil from the water’s surface. About 800,000 liters of crude oil are leaking out the sub-sea well each day. Officials say it could take 90 days to stop the leak.

CBC News

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