The tropical storm sweeping through the Gulf of Mexico has been upgraded to a Hurricane, the first of the season. President Obama has declared a state of emergency in Texas to cope with Hurricane Alex. The rough sea is likely to cause disruption of operation to clean up the oil spill in the Gulf. The hurricane is expected to pass some distance from the oil spill, but it is still causing huge disruption. Strong winds and high waves have forced hundreds of smaller vessels helping to burn or skim-off the oil to abandon their positions and head for port.