Baffling Gulf Weirdness

So, the Feds feel they might be compelled to open the oil well again if a tropical storm approaches? And why, pray tell, would they even think of doing anything like that? Are they afraid of not having something to manage when the wind is blowing? What does BP think?

So far the FNMOC WXMAPs show stormy weather moving into the Gulf, but with little development, and fading with time. It's not Katrina by a long shot! Just chill!

There seems to be a pervasive lack-of-trust in the Gulf that could well make for unforced disastrous decisions on every side.

[UPDATE: These guys seem to have negotiated this decision (which most children would have no trouble with) all right.]:

The temporary cap on BP's ruptured oil well can stay closed even if ships evacuate the Gulf of Mexico during a tropical storm, the federal government's oil spill chief said Thursday.

Growing confidence in the experimental cap's security convinced scientists it was safe to leave it unmonitored for a few days, Retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen said.

Allen said they'll decide Thursday evening whether ships will have to leave.

"The decision has been made to leave the cap on, even if the well is unattended," Allen said.

Forecasters at the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami say the storm system has already caused flooding in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Haiti. It could become Tropical Storm Bonnie later Thursday and reach the Gulf of Mexico by Saturday.