Riding The Storm Out

Tropical Depression Bonnie is expected to hit the Gulf coast later today, with squalls and a storm surge of 1-3 feet.  While residents prepare for the potential disaster of oil washing inland with the surge, another storm is raging; the storm of distrust.

Federal and BP officials have hammered out a storm plan with local governments that includes evacuating people and moving response equipment out of coastal parishes to higher ground.

The Coast Guard said it was concerned about safeguarding the equipment to avoid any damage from the storm.

But local officials saw the move as a sign that it was going to withdraw equipment permanently, and they have fought bitterly to keep it. One parish president, Kevin Davis of St. Tammany, ordered the arrest of anyone who moved oil-protection barges out of his parish waters.

Billy Nungesser, the president of Plaquemines Parish, where the storm is due to hit first, threatened to blow out the tires of trucks carting away protective boom. Mr. Nungesser claimed he was joking, but he still drew a call of reprimand from the F.B.I.

Governer Jindal has declared a state of emergency, and Plaquemines Parish has called for a voluntary evacuation of coastal residents.  Funding to train first responders to deal with the hazardous oil has been denied by BP.