The word from the Gulf Coast about the massive oil slick that's heading toward shore remains grim:

— "With an oily stench permeating the air across southeastern Louisiana, a massive oil spill was expected to start coming ashore in the Mississippi River delta early Friday, triggering all-out efforts to stave off an enironmental and fishing industry disaster as some state officials feared a repeat of the botched response that doomed the region during Hurricane Katrina's aftermath." (The Times-Picayune)

— "An army of workers conducted frantic combat on Thursday with booms, chemicals and even fire to limit the damage from a massive oil spill invading the Mississippi River delta. Pushed by swift southeasterly winds, the arrival of the oil slick opened a new chapter in the Deepwater Horizon disaster saga, both environmentally and politically as lawmakers in Washington raised the heat on the offshore energy industry." (Houston Chronicle)

— "An oil spill that threatened to eclipse even the Exxon Valdez disaster spread out of control and drifted inexorably toward the Gulf Coast as fishermen rushed to scoop up shrimp and crews spread floating barriers around marshes." (NPR News)

— Despite what's being called the "largest oil containment effort in history ... the slick has proved to just be a very determined adversary." People in Venice, La., are calling this a potential catastrophe for the fishing industry there. (NPR's Cheryl Corley on Morning Edition):

The oil is pouring out of an undersea well that was devastated by the explosion and fire this week that destroyed an oil rig in the Gulf — and presumably killed 11 workers who are still missing.

Here is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's latest projection of the slick's path, which you can also see by clicking here:

NOAA.gov
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www.noaa.gov

NOAA.gov

www.noaa.gov