DAPHNE, Ala. — More than three months after the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion blew out BP PLC’s well, officials are cautiously optimistic the kill process to shut off spewing oil at its source can begin within the week.

Retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, the national incident commander, said Monday the two-step process is expected to start Aug. 2 with a “static kill” by which the top of the well will be bombarded with mud and cement. If the venture proves successful, the final step — or “bottom kill” — of blasting the sealants from deep underground could begin five days later, but it was not immediately clear exactly how long the bottom kill would take to complete.

“My fingers are crossed,” said Charlotte Simmons, stopping for gas along Interstate 65 Sunday outside Montgomery. Simmons, who spent a week in Orange Beach, said she and her family debated whether to keep their standing getaway and decided supporting their favorite vacation spot was the best way to cope with the spill.

“It’s probably the first time we’ve spent so much time in other parts (of Baldwin County) while we were down, but everybody’s hurting. It’s not just the beaches,” said Simmons, of Huntsville, who is hopeful the long-lasting effects of the spill will not hamper future jaunts.

Allen, in his Monday briefing from Washington, D.C., reiterated the command’s commitment to restoring the Gulf Coast regardless of the time required.

 “At some point, we hope — I think everybody hopes — there will be no oil on the water. At that point, we’re going to have to figure out how we make a transition in our resources. We’ve set up a couple of teams to start looking at that. I’ll probably start a round of meetings myself with local leaders to talk about how we deal with Vessels of Opportunity — how they’re best applied, how we can jointly continue to do what we need to do out there,” he said.

“But let me make this really clear to everybody: no matter what the demand signal is for Vessels of Opportunity, no matter how much oil is on the water, the commitment to continue this cleanup onshore or in the marshes, to continue to make sure that we all agree on how clean is clean, that we hold BP accountable — this will continue far after the relief well is completed.

“That is our total commitment; that will be our commitment. And how exactly that transition takes place, we will involve the local community leaders and make that as robust a discussion as we can.”

New chief takes reins

BP’s newly named CEO Robert Dudley wasted little time Tuesday laying out his plans to move recovery efforts forward.

Dudley, who grew up in Mississippi, has been overseeing Gulf Coast operations for the oil company for the past month since embattled CEO Tony Hayward distanced himself from the region following a series of public relations gaffes related to the spill.

Dudley, 54, told ABC’s “Good Morning America” Tuesday that sealing the well and restoring the Gulf of Mexico are his top priorities.

Dudley, who officially accepts the post Oct. 1, will be the first U.S. citizen to lead London-based BP, and vowed during his televised interview to institute checks and balances to guard against future disasters while overhauling the oil company’s corporate culture.

Patrick Harmon of Daphne criticized BP for waiting so long to replace Hayward but welcomed Dudley’s experience and connection to the region.

“I’m just a retired teacher, but even I know you can’t keep somebody in charge of fixing a mess like this when they can’t possibly understand the devastation their company has caused. We’re not just talking about beaches and fishing.

We’re talking about generations of family businesses and a way of life, and I feel like somebody who grew up in the area understands that  a little better,”

Harmon said.

Vessels reactivated

Meanwhile, some 400 vessels docked as Tropical Storm Bonnie approached late last week, have been deployed to assess the condition of boom in the wake of rough surf.

The Mobile Incident Command confirmed Monday another 250 boats are on standby should the initial responders encounter substantial damage.

Response to date

With 17 staging areas in place to protect sensitive shorelines, the National Incident Command has verified that a total of 637 miles of Gulf Coast shoreline has been oiled, including about 70 miles in Alabama.

According to the latest figures available, the command has authorized the following: