Florida Outlines BP Gulf Oil Spill Response For August 6, 2010
On Day 109 of the BP Gulf Oil Spill state reconnaissance teams operating by air, land and sea continue to identify potential impacts and are actively coordinating with cleanup teams.
Although sporadic sightings of tar balls may continue, Florida’s shoreline is not expected to receive additional impacts over the next 72 hours. View the Florida Gator Interactive Oil Spill Map.
Following completion of cementing operations as part of the static kill procedure, monitoring of the well is underway in order to confirm the effectiveness of the procedure. The relief well being drilled by the DDIII continues to progress towards intersecting the annulus.
Approximately 649 miles of Gulf Coast shoreline is currently oiled: 91 miles in Florida, 371 miles in Louisiana, 112 miles in Mississippi and75 miles in Alabama.
Beaches in Escambia County, including Pensacola Beach, Perdido Key and the Gulf Islands National Seashore, remain open for swimming. Reports over the last several weeks have been of minimal impacts, typically scattered tar balls. The threat of oil to beaches has been greatly reduced due to the capping of the oil well and progress toward a permanent kill, according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission have reopened coastal state waters off Escambia County to the harvest of saltwater fish.
Under the leadership of Governor Charlie Crist, the State Emergency Response Team and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) are actively coordinating and responding to the Deepwater Horizon incident.
The following is a summary of state and BP response actions to date, as well as tips for residents and visitors to take precautions both pre and post-landfall.
Map of BP Oil Spill as of August 6, 2010. Click on images for larger picture.
This forecast is based on the NWS spot forecast from Tuesday, August 5 PM. Currents were obtained from several models (NOAA Gulf of Mexico, West Florida Shelf/USF, TGLO/TAMU, NAVO/NRL) and HFR measurements. The model was initialized from Sunday-Wednesday satellite imagery analysis (NOAA/NESDIS). The leading edge may contain tarballs that are not readily observable from the imagery (hence not included in the model initialization). Oil near bay inlets could be brought into that bay by local tidal currents.
The 24, 48 and 72 hour forecast show no recoverable oil. No recoverable oil has been reported from overflights since Saturday, July 31. No anomalies have been reported from satellite analysis for 2 of the last 3 days. Scattered sheens might be seen within the uncertainty bounds.
Message of the day: State EOC’s Final Daily Media Advisory
The State Emergency Operations Centers transitioned to a Level Two – partial activation on August 5, 2010 in response to the Deepwater Horizon incident in the Gulf of Mexico. State emergency management officials will continue to coordinate with federal, state and local partners to ensure that any further impacts to Florida’s coastline are quickly responded to and cleaned up, while minimizing staff and resources as necessary.
Current Situation:
The State Emergency Operations Center is activated at Level 2 — partial activation.
The State continues to focus on mitigating impacts to Florida’s shoreline.
On August 5, BP completed cementing operations on the Deepwater Horizon well as part of the static kill procedure. Monitoring of the well is underway in order to confirm the effectiveness of the procedure. BP continues the ongoing relief well operations. Depending upon weather conditions, mid-August is the current estimate of the most likely date by which the first relief well will intercept the well. Learn More.
No new oil has been discharged from the Deepwater Horizon well since July 15.
The remnants of Colin regained tropical storm intensity Thursday evening. As of 8 a.m. EDT Friday, Tropical Storm Colin was located about 400 miles south of Bermuda, or about 800 miles east of Jupiter Inlet, with maximum sustained winds near 45mph. Tropical Storm Colin is forecast to continue moving north and northeast away from the U.S. coastline. A tropical wave in the central Atlantic Ocean is getting better organized and there is a 40 percent chance of formation into a tropical cyclone within the next day or two.
Oil Impact Notices are posted for all Escambia County and Walton County Gulf beaches, as well as designated beaches in Okaloosa County. Signs may remain in place until local authorities determine that beaches are no longer impacted by the oil spill. Learn more.
The coastal state waters previously closed to the harvest of saltwater fish were reopened on July 31. The area will remain closed to the harvest of shrimp and crabs pending additional testing. Learn more.
Health Effects:
Oil Impact Notices are posted for all Escambia County and Walton County Gulf beaches, as well as designated beaches in Okaloosa County. Signs may remain in place until local authorities determine that beaches are no longer impacted by the oil spill. Learn more.
If residents or visitors see tar or oiled debris on the beach, DO NOT PICK IT UP. For most people, an occasional brief contact with a small amount of oil will not cause any harm, however it is not recommended. Learn more.
Fisheries & Seafood:
A portion of coastal state waters offshore of Escambia County is closed to the harvest of saltwater fish, crabs and shrimp. Learn more.
To report oiled wildlife, please call 1-866-557-1401. For the safety of the public as well as the safety of animals, rescues should only be conducted by trained responders. Learn more.
Visit http://bpdecon.com for a list of vessel decontamination locations for oiled boats within the U.S. Coast Guard Mobile Sector.
Tips for Homeowners:
While the state appreciates the concern expressed by Floridians and the ingenuity of those seeking alternative measures to help protect the state’s shoreline, the following tips are offered to ensure that these measures are helpful and not harmful to Florida’s coasts, wildlife and water resources: Tips for homeowners.
Tips for Businesses and Consumers:
The Attorney General’s fraud hotline is open to receive any reports of fraud or price gouging. The hotline is 1-866-966-7226.
The Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner gas price-gouging hotline is also operational. The toll-free hotline number is 1-800-HELP-FLA (1-800-435-7352).
Coastal businesses should make loss of earnings claims for damages incurred as a result of the oil spill. Learn more at http://www.myfloridacfo.com/ or by calling 1-850-413-3089 or toll-free at 1-877-MY-FL-CFO (1-877-693-5236).
To discuss spill related damage with BP representatives, please call the BP Claims Reporting Line at 1-800-440-0858.
Volunteer Opportunities:
Individuals interested in volunteering can register at www.volunteerfloridadisaster.org.
Volunteers will not be in direct contact with oil or oil-contaminated materials.
The Governor’s Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service – Volunteer Florida is encouraging Floridians and visitors to stay current on the latest information on scheduled beach cleanups and other local volunteer opportunities.
Learn More About Florida’s Response:
Visit www.deepwaterhorizonflorida.com to learn more about Florida’s response to the Deepwater Horizon incident, sign up for daily updates, view tips for businesses and consumers, and much more.
For a list of Unified Command, BP and Florida phone numbers, visit http://www.dep.state.fl.us/deepwaterhorizon/default.htm#numbers.
The Oil Spill Information Line is available at 1-888-337-3569 from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. seven days a week. Additional phone numbers have also been established for persons with disabilities: (800) 955-8771 (TDD) or (800) 955-8770 (voice).
Topics: 2010, August 6, beaches, BP, British Petroleum, business, coastline, Deepwater Horizon, Economy, emergency response, environment, environmental impact, Fishery Failure Determination, fishing, Florida, Florida seafood products, GOHSEP, Governance, government, Governor Charlie Crist, Gulf of Mexico, gulf oil map, landfall predictions, loans, Macondo, Mexico Beach, moniter, monitor, news, noaa oil spill, Obama Administration, oil loop current, Oil Rig, oil spill, oil spill forecast, oil spill map, Panama City Beach, Panhandle, Pensacola Beach, Pensacola Pass, pollution, President Obama, tourism, Transocean, U.S., United States, VISIT FLORIDA marketing campaign, White House, www.visitflorida.com
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