News 5 Chopper Surveys BP "Assessment" Day

The storm Bonnie that convinced BP to evacuate operations on the Gulf Coast fizzled over the weekend. Now the oil giant is deciding how much equipment and how many crews they need to bring back.

The oil company is calling Monday's efforts an "assessment" of oil effects in the area.

Besides the presence of boom hugging much of the coastline, most signs of BP seem to have disappeared. A normally bustling Katrina Key was completely abandoned Monday, raising the question, "Will BP cleanup efforts ever be as extensive?"

A few workers unloaded absorbant boom Monday in Orange Beach. Decking was replaced in Fort Morgan to support BP's heavy equipment, and a few boats checked on deployed boom along the coastline.

BP said they expected to see little or no oil in the area during Monday's evaluations. During the flight in the News 5 WInd Creek Chopper, our crew didn't see any oil either.

BP said Tuesday will be spent bringing their heavy equipment back to the staging areas. There will be no cleanup workers on the beaches until Wednesday or Thursday.

BP was temporarily out of sight Monday, but people still seem hesitant to populate the beaches and Gulf waters again. Alabama beaches were empty compared to previous summers, but a few brave tourists took advantage of the quiet atmosphere.

Some state waters recently opened for shrimping, but News 5 only spotted one boat shrimping during our tour.

Today's "assessment" by BP should determine how big their comeback presence will be on the Gulf Coast the rest of the week.