Florida Releases August 3, 2010 Gulf Oil Spill Situation Update
On August 3 NOAA shows the BP oil plume 89 miles from Pensacola and 136 miles from Panama City.
NOAA forecast oil trajectories keep significant patches of oil to remain well south and west of Florida.
Though no direct oil impacts are expected over the next 72 hours, minor tarball impacts are still possible. Offshore, there is no clear path for oil to enter the Florida Straits.
Winds will be out of a general southwest direction around 5-10 knots through the week before a possible wind shift late in the weekend. Calm seas of 2 feet or less are expected through much of this week as well. A 40-50% chance of rain is forecast both on and offshore today through Saturday for all branches, with the highest rain chances south of I-10.
Lightning and gusty winds will be the main hazards. Heat indices will continue to reach dangerous levels of 107 to 116 degrees for several hours today and an Excessive Heat Warning is in effect for the western panhandle, with a Heat Advisory is in effect for the remainder of the Panhandle and Florida Big Bend.
At 5am EDT, TD #4 in the central Atlantic was designated Tropical Storm Colin with maximum winds near 40mph. Colin is moving rapidly west-northwest near 23mph and the official forecast track takes Colin north of the Leeward Islands, then between the Bahamas and Bermuda this week.
The 5 day error cone is more than 300 miles east of Florida. Elsewhere, a tropical wave over the eastern Caribbean Sea is very disorganized with only a 20% chance of development over the next 48 hours.
Florida Beaches Remain OPEN! Learn more.
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 as of August 3, 2010.
Map of BP Oil Spill as of August 3, 2010. Click on images for larger picture.
This forecast is based on the NWS spot forecast from Monday, August 2 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-Monday satellite imagery analysis (NOAA/NESDIS) and Monday overflight observations. 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.
No recoverable oil has been reported from overflights since Saturday, July 31. The NESDIS satellite data analysis continues to show a few scattered anomalies offshore and west of the Delta. The threat of new shorelines impacts is low due to weak onshore winds and the reduced amount of floating oil.
View the Florida Gator Interactive Oil Spill Map here.
Visit geoplatform.gov/gulfresponse/ to see the latest information about the oil spill’s trajectory, the position of NOAA’s research ships, spilled oil’s coastal location and the areas closed to shipping.
Current Situation:
Florida beaches are open.
Currently Deepwater Horizon is not discharging any oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Unified Area Command continues with a comprehensive oil well intervention and spill response planning following the April 22 sinking of the Transocean Deepwater Horizon drilling rig 130 miles southeast of New Orleans. Final “Static Kill” operations to seal the well begin this week.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced yesterday that a new analysis shows Southern Florida, the Florida Keys, and the East Coast are unlikely to experience any effects from the remaining oil on the surface of the Gulf.
- This event has been designated a Spill of National Significance.
- More than 30,200 personnel are working the on and offshore response.
- Oil-water mix recovered: over 34.7 million gallons. Dispersant: more than 1.84 million gallons deployed.
- Response vessels available: more than 5,300
- Response aircraft available: 86
- Presently monitoring security situations.
Florida Specific:
All supplemental Tier 3 boom is being removed and stored in the Northwest Florida counties.
Tar balls and light sheen continue to be reported in Northwest Florida.
Five state-leased skimmers remain on standby in Northwest Florida to protect sensitive inland water bodies. These skimmers are operating out of Escambia, Okaloosa, Bay, Gulf and Franklin Counties.
Oil Containment Boom (in feet) total: 324,600 deployed in Florida. Tier 1 & Tier 2: 318,600 / Tier 3: 6,000. In accordance with established plans, protective booming, staging, and boom maintenance is being conducted along the coast from Escambia to Franklin. 139 vessels are deployed in Florida for the Vessels of Opportunity program. 546 Qualified Community Responders are working in the Florida Panhandle today.
Federal Fishery closure, west of Cape San Blas to state line. 26,388 sq mi of southeast portion has been reopened. (see NOAA FB10-060) A portion of coastal state waters offshore of Escambia County reopened for finfish but remains closed for the harvest of crabs and shrimp.
In addition to $100,000 for Volunteer Florida to maintain a volunteer registration database, BP has issued over $82 million in grants to Florida for booming, tourism advertising, and state preparedness and response efforts. An additional $500,000 has been issued by BP to fund innovative technology solutions for Okaloosa County.
BP claims in Florida total 35,894 with approximately $51,840,992.05 paid.
BP Has assumed direct financial responsibility for approx $9 mil of Boom contracts for Florida counties.
Florida Information Lines:
The Florida Oil Spill Information Line (FOSIL) is available from 8am-6pm EDT daily.
- English – (888) 337-3569 / TDD – (800) 955-8771 / Voice – (800) 955-8770
- Spanish – (877) 955-8773
- Haitian Creole – (877) 955-8707
For general health/exposures information questions related to the oil spill, contact the Florida Poison Control Center at (800) 222-1222.
Two public hotline numbers for oil spill investigation and cleanup:
- Impacted Wildlife: (866) 557-1401
- Oiled Shoreline: (877) 2-SAVE-FL or #DEP for cellular devices
The Florida Department of State has established a hotline for archeological, historical preservation, and tribal lands that may be impacted by the Deepwater Horizon incident: (850) 245-6530.
To confirm legitimate charities and determine if an organization is registered with the state, call Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) (800) 435-7352 or www.800helpfla.com.
Information Websites:
Volunteer registration: www.VolunteerFlorida.org and click “Register to Help”
Health advisories: http://www.dep.state.fl.us/deepwaterhorizon/health.htm
State sampling data: www.nrdata.org
GATOR web mapping application: http://map.floridadisaster.org/gator/
Recovery related jobs, response management application: http://FloridaGulfRecoveryJobs.com/
NOAA GeoPlatform: http://www.geoplatform.gov/gulfresponse/
State Actions:
State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) is at a Level 1 (Full), operating from 0700 to 1800 EDT, with Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) as the lead agency.
Governor’s Executive Orders 10-99, 10-100, 10-106 and 10-132 declared a state of emergency for identified Florida coastal counties.
Governor’s Executive Order 10-101 established the Gulf Oil Spill Economic Recovery Task Force, which will facilitate efforts by Florida businesses and industries to recover the loss of commerce and revenues due to the oil spill.
Governor’s Executive Order 10-169, authorizing property appraisers to provide interim assessments of properties affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster.
Four Florida branch offices are fully operational in Northwest Florida. These branch offices bring together federal, state and local agencies to streamline response efforts.
Conducting daily conference calls with county and emergency management partners, the Federal On-Scene Coordinator, and various Unified Commands.
A SERT Toxicological Data Analysis Cell is providing consistent scientific assessments of collected sampling to inform local/state decision making.
The Agency for Workforce Innovation and Regional Workforce Boards are identifying and filling jobs related to the oil spill: 14,873 positions advertised; 45,910 applicants referred.
120 Florida National Guard personnel on duty at various duty posts in the Deepwater Horizon area of operations.
19,753 volunteers have registered to respond to Deepwater Horizon. 25,743 volunteer hours have been worked.
AmeriCorps, National Civilian Community Corps members are assisting with models for a community-run Citizen Information Station (CIS).
Conducting daily reconnaissance flights and shoreline patrol from Escambia to Franklin Counties for impact. Real time reconnaissance reports are being entered into SERT GATOR.
Currently, Florida’s coast has 9 primary decontamination sites and 2 secondary sites for response vessels and 2 that are being operated for commercial vessels. 3 sites for recreational vessel decontamination have been established and 18 additional recreational vessel sites are in negotiations with BP.
Recovered Oiled Wildlife: 08/02/10
See the consolidated wildlife report updated by noon each day: http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/doctype/2931/55963
The Boom Coordination Cell continues to coordinate additional boom requests. The Innovative Technology Cell continues to assess alternative clean-up technologies suggested by the public and stakeholders.
Emergency Bridge Loan Program, cumulative totals- Applications: 84; Declined: 12; Approved: 72; Amount: $1,770,000.00
The Small Business Administration issued an Economic Injury Disaster Loan Declaration for the State of Florida. Outreach Centers are open in 8 counties. Total Loan Applications: Issued: 707 Accepted: 235 Declined: 83 Approved: 46 Loan amount approved: $4,633,000.00
Local States of Emergency
- Escambia: Expires on 8/06/10
- Santa Rosa: Expires on 8/06/10
- Okaloosa: Concurrent with State
- Bay: Expires on 8/06/10
- Gulf: Expires on 8/03/10
- Franklin: Expires on 8/09/10
- Wakulla: Expires on 8/09/10
- Dixie: Expired
- Sarasota: Expires on 8/03/10
- Jefferson: Expired
County EOC Activations
- Escambia, Level 3
- Santa Rosa, Level 2 (Partial)
- Okaloosa, Level 2 (Partial)
- Walton, Level 3
- Bay, Level 2 (Partial)
- Gulf, Level 2 (Partial)
- Franklin, Level 3
- Wakulla, Level 2 (Partial)
- Jefferson, Level 3
Topics: 2010, August 3, 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, 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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