Florida Releases July 20, 2010 Gulf Oil Spill Situation Update
On July 20 NOAA shows the oil plume 80 miles from Pensacola and 125 miles from Panama City.
940 Qualified Community Responders are working in the Florida Panhandle.
Trajectory forecasts scattered tarball fields already near shore may be carried onshore along the Panhandle coast.
Offshore, no oil has been observed within or moving towards Eddy Franklin and there is no clear path for oil to enter the Florida Straits.
6 days in the well integrity test is ongoing and active monitoring continues. The well remains shut in with no oil flowing into the Gulf. Pressure continues to slowly increase and is approximately 6825 psi. No oil has been recovered at the source in the last 24 hours.
Moderate southeast winds of 10-15 knots are forecast to continue through Thursday. Nearshore waves will also be out of the southeast through Thursday, but seas will build to around 1-3 feet nearshore, as high as 4 feet offshore today, and then to around 2-4 feet nearshore and 5 feet offshore Wednesday. Rain chances will be lower, around 20-40% each day through Thursday.
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 July 20, 2010.
Map of BP Oil Spill as of July 20, 2010. Click on images for larger picture.
This forecast is based on the NWS spot forecast from Monday, July 19 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.
Persistent ESE and E winds are forecast to continue through Thursday with speeds of 10-20 kts. Satellite analysis and overflights indicate surface oil has moved west toward the Delta but has not yet crossed the convergence line associated with the Mississippi River outflow. Scattered streamers and tar patties were also observed to the west of the Delta. With moderately strong easterly winds in the forecast, the Delta and shorelines west to Terrebonne Bay are threatened by shoreline contacts within this forecast period. Trajectories also indicate some oil may move northward threatening the Chandeleur Islands.
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.
Weather Summary:
Heat indices will be near 100 to 105 degrees today and tomorrow. The southeasterly winds and waves will continue to push the main portion of oil plume towards the northwest but scattered tarball fields already nearshore may be carried onshore along the Panhandle coast. A tropical wave in the Southwestern Atlantic just north of Puerto Rico has a 40% chance of becoming a tropical depression or tropical storm within the next 48 hours.
Current Situation:
Florida beaches are open.
Currently, Deepwater Horizon is not discharging any oil into the Gulf of Mexico.
BP well integrity testing is ongoing and active monitoring continues. Progress continues on the two relief wells. This event has been designated a Spill of National Significance.
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.
More than 40,000 personnel are working the on and offshore response.
Oil-water mix recovered: nearly 34.4 million gallons.
Response vessels available: more than 6,296 Response aircraft available: 116
Dispersant:
More than 1.84 million gallons deployed. There is no planned use of dispersants in Florida waters.
Florida Specific:
Tar balls, tar mats and light sheen continue to be reported in Northwest Florida. Isolated impacts will be possible in Northwest Florida over the next 72 hours. 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. Pensacola Pass and Perdido Pass will continue to be closed with the tide to reduce the amount of oil entering inland waters.
These waterways are manned to allow access to necessary vessel traffic and are open for vessel traffic during low tide.
Oil Containment Boom (in feet) total: 797,261 deployed in Florida; Tier 1 & Tier 2: 481,000 / Tier 3: 316,261.
In accordance with established plans, protective booming, staging, and boom maintenance is being conducted along the coast from Escambia to Franklin.
222 vessels are deployed in Florida for the Vessels of Opportunity program.
Federal Fishery closure, west of Cape San Blas to state line. (see NOAA FB10-060)
In addition to $100,000 for Volunteer Florida to maintain a volunteer registration database, BP has issued over $75 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 Cty. BP claims in Florida total 31,454 with approximately $ 39,741,566.26 paid.
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: http://FloridaGulfRecoveryJobs.com/
NOAA GeoPlatform, response management application: 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.
Conducting daily conference calls with county and emergency management partners, the Federal On-Scene Coordinator, and various Unified Commands.
A portion of coastal state waters offshore of Escambia County is closed to the harvest of saltwater fish, crabs and shrimp. 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: 13,857 positions advertised; 42,442 applicants referred.
124 Florida National Guard personnel on duty at various duty posts in the Deepwater Horizon area of operations.
19,633 volunteers have registered to respond to Deepwater Horizon.
23,703 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 GATOR.
Currently, Florida’s coast has 9 decontamination sites for response vessels and 8 that are being operated for commercial vessels. A site for recreational vessel decontamination has also been established and 13 additional recreational vessel sites are in negotiations with BP.
Recovered Oiled Wild Life: 07/19/10:
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: 52; Declined: 5; Approved: 47; Amount: $1,155,000.00
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: 612 Accepted: 176 Declined: 59 Approved: 33
- Loan amount approved: $3,464,700.00
Local States of Emergency
- Escambia: Expires on 7/20/10
- Santa Rosa: Expires on 7/23/10
- Okaloosa: Concurrent with State
- Walton: Expires on 7/23/10
- Bay: Expires on 7/22/10
- Gulf: Expires on 7/20/10
- Franklin: Expires on 7/26/10
- Wakulla: Expires on 7/19/10
- Jefferson: Expires on 7/21/10
- Dixie: Expires on 7/22/10
- Sarasota: Expires on 7/20/10
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 3
- Jefferson, Level 3
Topics: 2010, beaches, BP, British Petroleum, business, coastline, Deepwater Horizon, Economy, emergency response, environment, environmental impact, fishing, Florida, Florida seafood products, GOHSEP, Governance, government, Governor Charlie Crist, Gulf of Mexico, gulf oil map, July 20, 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, Panhandle, Pensacola Beach, Pensacola Pass, pollution, President Obama, relief wells, tourism, Transocean, U.S., United States, VISIT FLORIDA marketing campaign, White House, www.visitflorida.com
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