NU Online News Service, June 29, 3:50 p.m. EDT

Tropical Storm Alex was strengthening in the Gulf of Mexico onTuesday and has caused the evacuation of a number of oil productionfacilities.

The storm could also slow the cleanup of the British Petroleumoil spill.

Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen, the federal commander for the BPoil spill response, told reporters on Tuesday that waves producedby Alex would delay plans to hook up a third vessel to capture theoil, according to a transcript of the briefing.

Adm. Allen added, "The current speed and direction and windstrength of Alex does not indicate that we should do anythingregarding evacuation."

If an evacuation of the workers drilling a relief well isrequired because of the storm, Adm. Allen said the operation wouldbe halted for 14 days due to the amount of time to break productionand stop drilling.

The storm is expected tomiss the spill, but it could push the slick more toward theGulf Coast.

Adm. Allen said crews haven't seen oil being pushed furtherinland, but there has been a change in direction.

"It [the oil] was generally heading east to the panhandle ofFlorida," he said. "Because of wave conditions and current, we nowsee oil start entering the Mississippi Sound and areas aroundChandelier and Breton Sound. We're very concerned about that. We'removing forces there as we speak."

Alex, the first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season,was expected to reach hurricane status with winds of at least 74mph, and is expected to make landfall near the border of Mexico andTexas sometime between Wednesday night and Thursday morning,according to the National Hurricane Center.

Risk Management Solutions likened the forecast for Alex toHurricane Dolly in July 2008. Hurricane Dolly caused about $500million in insured losses, mostly to South Padre Island beforecoming ashore.

The National Flood Insurance Program has yet to be extended. Theprogram provides flood insurance to nearly 700,000 Texans. TheTexas Windstorm Insurance Association will not sell windstormpolicies if Alex becomes a hurricane, according to the InsuranceCouncil of Texas. Alex would be one of the earliest hurricanes everto hit Texas, the council said.