Storms threaten protection efforts as Gulf of Mexico oil spill comes ashore

By The Associated Press
April 30, 2010, 11:47AM MOUTH OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER — Oil from the massive spill in the Gulf of Mexico oozed into Louisiana’s ecologically rich wetlands today as storms threatened to frustrate desperate protection efforts. Crews in boats patrolled coastal marshes early today looking for areas where the oil has flowed in, the Coast Guard said. The National Weather Service predicted winds, high tides and waves through Sunday that could push oil deep into the inlets, ponds and lakes that line the boot of southeastern Louisiana. Seas of 6 to 7 feet were pushing tides several feet above normal toward the coast, compounded by thunderstorms expected in the area Friday. As the sun rose over Venice, dozens of boats, some carrying booms that will help hold back the oil, sat ready at Cypress Cove pier. Fishing guide Mike Dickinson, 56, was taking out some fishermen from Georgia in hopes of making money before more oil washes in. “We’ve been getting calls from customers concerned about the fishing, whether it’s going to open,” he said. The weather will keep crews from skimming oil off of the surface or burning it off for the next couple of days because of the weather, Coast Guard Rear Adm. Sally Brice-O’Hara said on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” Waves may also wash over booms strung out just off shorelines to stop the oil, said Tom McKenzie, a spokesman for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which is hoping booms will keep oil off the Chandeleur Islands, part of a national wildlife refuge. … Volunteer Valerie Gonsoulin, a 51-year-old kayaker from Lafayette who wore an “America’s Wetlands” hat, said she hoped to help spread containment booms to hold back the oil. “I go out in the marshes three times a week. It’s my peace and serenity,” she said. “I’m horrified. … I’ve been sitting here watching that NASA image grow and it grows. I knew it would hit every place I fish and love.” …