BP captures 6,000 barrels of oil from leaking well

As engineers monitor the oil flow through a containment cap, wildlife rescue efforts are stepped up in Louisiana.

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Reporting from New Orleans and Los Angeles — Efforts to contain the flood of oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico showed signs of progress as a cap placed atop BP's blown-out well managed to capture 6,000 barrels of oil in its first 24 hours, officials announced Saturday.

No one knows exactly how much is still spewing from the well, although estimates by a government task force before the well was capped ranged between 12,000 and 25,000 barrels of oil daily.

The containment cap, the latest in a string of efforts to cope with the massive spill, is funneling oil and gas to a surface ship about a mile above the wellhead.

But engineers are allowing most of the oil to continue escaping through four vents in the cap because the force of the flow could burst the rubber gasket that holds the cap in place.

"They're making sure they don't increase the production rate until it is safe to do so," Coast Guard incident commander Adm. Thad Allen told reporters Saturday. "They're easing the pressure up to the vessel…so they can maintain control of the oil."

On Saturday afternoon, a BP spokesman said the company had no estimate as to when the vents would be closed. "Over the next few days we will be adjusting the cap to work as best as we can," Toby Odone said.

The amount of oil pumped to the surface could be constrained, given that the surface ship can receive only 15,000 barrels daily, Odone acknowledged.

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Flash flood warning issued; tornado watch continues overnight

The night's third tornado warning for Washtenaw County has expired, although a tornado watch — meaning conditions may be favorable for tornado development — continues until 5 a.m. for the entire region, including Washtenaw County as well as Berrien, Branch, Cass, Hillsdale, Lenawee, Monroe, St. Joseph and Wayne counties.

The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood warning due to the continuing rainfall. Flooded streets have been reported in many areas of Ann Arbor, including Washtenaw Avenue; Maple Road; Stadium Boulevard; and Packard, Church and Monroe streets. Some residents are reporting a foot or more of water in some low-lying areas.
The text of the flood warning:

At 1252 am EDT... National Weather Service Doppler radar indicated a line of thunderstorms producing extremely heavy rainfall extending from just east of Battle Creek to Detroit. These storms will continue to track along the Interstate 94 corridor over the next one to two hours.

Runoff from this excessive rainfall will continue to cause flash flooding to occur. Some locations that will experience flooding include... Ann Arbor... Canton... Chelsea... Dexter... downtown Detroit... Flat Rock... Livonia... Manchester... Romulus... Saline... Taylor... Ypsilanti... Belleville... Dearborn... Detroit... Dixboro... grose ile... Northville... Salem... Trenton... Whitmore Lake... Willis and Wyandotte.

At 1243 am... weather spotters reported water up to the curbs in portions of Ann Arbor.

At 1252 am EDT... National Weather Service Doppler radar indicated between one and three inches of rain has fallen across much of the area... with the highest amounts in and around Manchester... Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti.

Precautionary/preparedness actions...

Additional rainfall of 1 to 2 inches is possible over the next couple of hours.

Be especially cautious at night when it is harder to recognize the dangers of flooding. If flooding is observed... act quickly. Do not enter the water. Turn around and move up to higher ground. Do not stay in areas subject to flooding when water begins rising.

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