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Alex Becomes First Atlantic Hurricane Of Season

   VOA News 30 June 2010
   This  image provided by NOAA shows Hurricane Alex churning through the
   western  Gulf, taking aim at the Mexico-Texas border and far away from
   the  massive oil spill. At 11 p.m. EDT Alex was located 255 miles (415
   km) sooutheast of Brownsville, Texas moving w

Photo: AP

   NOAA  image  shows  Hurricane  Alex churning through the western Gulf,
   taking aim at the Mexico-Texas border, 29 Jun 2010

   Tropical Storm Alex has become the first hurricane of the Atlantic and
   Caribbean season and is heading for the Mexico-Texas border.
   U.S.  President  Barack Obama has declared a state of emergency in the
   parts  of  Texas  predicted  to  be  hit, which will allow the Federal
   Emergency Management Agency to coordinate  disaster relief efforts.
   The  National  Hurricane  Center in Miami says the first June Atlantic
   hurricane  since  1995  is  not on track to hit U.S. oil spill cleanup
   operations  in  the Gulf of Mexico. However, the U.S. Coast Guard said
   oil  skimming  operations  have  been  suspended  because the storm is
   causing rough waters and high winds.
   The  National  Hurricane Center said early Wednesday the storm's winds
   had  increased  to  130 kilometers per hour.  It predicts wind speeds
   will  continue  to  increase  as  Alex  moves  toward the Mexico-Texas
   border.   The  center  says  the  storm  could  hit  land  as soon as
   Wednesday night.
   The  U.S.  Coast  Guard has said the storm is generating waves of more
   than  three  meters,  making conditions too rough for oil skimmers and
   other  cleaning vessels near the oil spill site to operate safely.  A
   Coast  Guard  spokeswoman  tells  VOA  that oil collection and burning
   operations at the well site are continuing.
   The  State  Department  announced  Tuesday that the United States will
   accept  22  offers  of  assistance from 12 countries and international
   bodies  to  help  clean  up  the spill.  Officials issued a statement
   saying the U.S. is working out the specifics of the help accepted.
   An  April  20  explosion  on  a  rig leased by BP killed 11 people and
   caused  the leak that has been pouring tens of thousands of barrels of
   crude each day into the Gulf.
   Large  patches  of oil have washed up on the shores of Mississippi for
   the  first time.  In addition to Mississippi, oil has washed up along
   the  coasts  of  Florida  and  Alabama,  as well as in the hardest-hit
   wetlands of Louisiana.

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