Alex Descends on Gulf

The Gulf of Mexico is bracing itself—again. Having left a path of destruction in Central America, Tropical Storm Alex has now entered the region. It’s expected to pick up speed as it moves over the Gulf's warm waters, and according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center, it could turn into a hurricane as it heads toward Mexico's Caribbean coast—where it will be far from BP's blown-out oil well. Alex's deluges caused a landslide in Guatemala that killed two people, and 500 people were evacuated from their homes in El Salvador. Meanwhile, Mississippi officials report that oily tar balls appeared on its shores for the first time Sunday. "This is what we've been expecting. We had hoped and prayed we would somehow miss this, but it's hit us now,” said Pascagoula, Mississippi, Mayor Robbie Maxwell. A 23-person crew set to work collecting the patches.