Hurricane risk to oil clean-up

US VICE-PRESIDENT, Joe Biden was visiting the Gulf of Mexico yesterday, as a tropical storm, forecast to reach hurricane strength, was likely to hamper oil spill cleanup efforts.

Biden was visiting the New Orleans oil cleanup command centre before travelling to the Florida panhandle, where the slick forced authorities to close down some of the area’s iconic white sand beaches.

The Miami-based National Hurricane Centre said Tropical Storm Alex was expected to strengthen and become a hurricane, producing driving rains and blustery winds that were likely to only complicate BP’s efforts to double the amount of oil captured from the ruptured well.