Gulf braced for disaster as oil slick nears coast

GULF shore Americans watched and waited yesterday to see if they were going to become the first victims of the giant BP oil slick.

Wind and waves calmed as masses of the oil lurked off the beaches and bayous.

So far only oil sheens have reached into some coastal waters in the south-eastern US, and the oil’s slow progress was allowing crews and volunteers to lay booms in front of shorelines.