From a four story concrete dome, to hair and panty hose, BP is trying everything to cap that leak and clean up oil in the Gulf. The disaster is also on the minds of everyday citizens. Everyday BP gets between 9,000 and 10,000 phone calls from ordinary people offering their suggestions with how to deal with the oil disaster.

Someone who called a telephone line that was accepting public suggestions mentioned stopping the flow by capping the damaged well with a cork, said Lt. James McKnight, a spokesman with the Coast
Guard in Mobile. It would have to be a really big cork, presumably.
Thursday, KATC hit the streets of Lafayette to see what "homespun solutions" locals had concerning the matter.

"How about we use a whole bunch of 'ShamWows' and soak up all the oil out of the Gulf," suggested Kimberly Hebert.

Other suggestions included diapers, towels and even the power of prayer.

"That's the only thing we can do is pray, and just ask God to help them out, before oil gets on land," said Abner Thierry.

Over at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, Pastor Keith DeRouen says while prayer may not remove oil from the Gulf, it can have an impact on those trying to do so.

"It will help them to be open to creative ideas that come from God, because all good things come from God," DeRouen said.

Meantime Bishop Michael Jarrell has requested that all parishes within the Diocese of Lafayette start offering special prayers for the oil disaster, beginning at services this weekend.

Material from the Associated Press was included in this report.
Jim Hummel

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