FAIRHOPE, Ala. — Tropical Storm Bonnie is expected to threaten the central Gulf of Mexico this weekend, prompting the removal of workers and equipment from the well site where the Deepwater Horizon oil platform exploded and sank in April.

The federal government’s incident commander, Adm. Thad Allen, said, “Due to the risk that (the storm) poses to the safety of the nearly 2,000 people responding to the BP oil spill at the well site, many of the vessels and rigs will be preparing to move out of harm’s way … This includes the rig drilling the relief well that will ultimately kill the well, as well as other vessels needed for containment. Some of the vessels may be able to remain on site, but we will err on the side of safety.”

Allen directed BP to continue monitoring the pressure that is slowly building inside the capped well until it was absolutely necessary for the ships operating the robotic submarines to head to safety. Those vessels will also be the first to return once the storm passes, he said.

“While these actions may delay the effort to kill the well for several days, the safety of the individuals at the well site is our highest concern,” Allen added. “We are staging our skimming vessels and other assets in a manner that will allow us to promptly restart oil mitigation efforts as soon as the storm passes and we can ensure the safety of our personnel.”

The Unified Area Command center is staying in contact with the National Hurricane Center, NOAA and FEMA so they will know where to move the more than 40,000 people currently assisting in the oil spill response and recovery efforts.

Rear Adm. Paul Zukunft, the federal on-scene coordinator, has ordered that surplus response equipment be moved to inland staging areas. He said, “We are repositioning assets away from low-lying areas to higher ground staging areas to protect our ability to respond to the dynamic requirements of the incident. The protection of the equipment and crew is paramount to ensure maximum ability to respond to any new challenges a storm may pose to the enormous mission. We are committed to following through with our response. There will be no reductions in effort, urgency or commitment even as we sustain the long-term relief effort.”

For the full story, pick up a copy of the July 24 Fairhope Courier.