Florida Releases July 28, 2010 Gulf Oil Spill Situation Update
On July 28 NOAA shows the BP oil plume 60 miles from Pensacola and 140 miles from Panama City.
While NOAA oil trajectories forecast oil patches to remain well south and west of Florida, with no direct oil impacts through at least Friday, scattered tarball fields already nearshore may continue to be carried onshore along the Panhandle coast.
Winds and currents may also push pockets of light sheen or tarmats eastward and the uncertainty line for possible oil extends east to around 25 miles south of Perdido Key by Friday. Offshore, no oil has been observed within or moving towards Eddy Franklin for over 4 weeks and there is no clear path for oil to enter the Florida Straits.
Winds over Florida waters are expected to be out of the northwest in the morning, shifting out of a general west direction in the afternoon from Wednesday through Friday. Winds should be 15 knots or less within 60 miles of the coastline each day, with waves less than 3 feet.
Mostly dry conditions are expected for much of the Panhandle today, though a few isolated afternoon showers will be possible over eastern areas. Rain chances will begin to increase again on Thursday and Friday to around 30-40% each day through the weekend.
Heat indices will be near 100-105 degrees along the shoreline through the next several days, though some isolated areas may reach as high as 108.
Also, significant tropical activity is not expected 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 28, 2010.
Map of BP Oil Spill as of July 28, 2010. Click on images for larger picture.
This forecast is based on the NWS spot forecast from Tuesday, July 27 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 Tuesday satellite imagery analysis (NOAA/NESDIS) and 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.
Winds are forecast to be SE at 5-10 kts tonight, then become offshore (NE/NW) by Wednesday afternoon. NW winds at 5-15 kts are forecast to continue through Saturday. Satellite imagery indicates the surface oil is continuing to break up into smaller scattered patches. Observations from overflights indicate these patches are predominantly light sheens with little recoverable oil being observed. Moderate onshore winds overnight may bring some remaining oil ashore, however, potential shoreline impacts will begin to be reduced by the offshore winds and natural dispersion of remaining floating oil. The MS/AL barrier islands, the Chandeleur Islands, Breton Sound, the Mississippi Delta and shorelines west to Pt. Au Fer continue to be threatened by scattered tarball impacts within this forecast period.
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. Preparations for the static kill will resume once equipment is reconnected. 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.
- This event has been designated a Spill of National Significance.
- More than 24,800 personnel are working the on and offshore response.
- Oil-water mix recovered: nearly 34.7 million gallons.
- Response vessels available: more than 4,200
- Response aircraft available: 114
- Dispersant: more than 1.84 million gallons deployed.
- There is no planned use of dispersants in Florida waters.
Florida Specific:
All supplemental Tier 3 boom is being removed in the Northwest Florida counties.
Tar balls and light sheen continue to be reported in Northwest Florida.
Although sporadic sightings of tar balls may continue, Florida’s shoreline is not expected to receive additional impacts 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.
Oil Containment Boom (in feet) total: 42,461 deployed in Florida. Tier 1 & Tier 2: 389,600 /Tier 3: 432,061. In accordance with established plans, protective booming, staging, and boom maintenance is being conducted along the coast from Escambia to Franklin. 166 vessels are deployed in Florida for the Vessels of Opportunity program. 710 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 is closed to the harvest of saltwater fish, crabs and shrimp.
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 County.
BP claims in Florida total 34,431 with approximately $ 47,758,093.31 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, 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:
- 14,574 positions advertised
- 44,903 applicants referred.
119 Florida National Guard personnel on duty at various duty posts in the Deepwater Horizon area of operations.
19,733 volunteers have registered to respond to Deepwater Horizon. 25,063 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 Wild Life: 07/27/10
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: 61; Declined: 6; Approved: 55; Amount: $1,355,000.00
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: 670 Accepted: 218
- Declined: 74 Approved: 42
- Loan amount approved: $4,497,200.00
Local States of Emergency
- Escambia: Expires on 8/6/10
- Santa Rosa: Expires on 7/30/10
- Okaloosa: Concurrent with State
- Walton: Expired
- Bay: Expires on 7/29/10
- Gulf: Expires on 8/3/10
- Franklin: Expires on 8/2/10
- Wakulla: Expires on 8/2/10
- Jefferson: Expires on 7/29/10
- Dixie: Expires on 7/29/10
- Sarasota: Expires on 8/3/10
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 2 (Partial)
- Jefferson, Level 3
Topics: 2010, 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, July 28, 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
Print This Article in Plain Text
|
|
Latest Headlines
- Governor Christie Demands Further Reform From Delaware River Port Authority
- Florida Launches Virtual Discount Drug Card Promotion
- Iowa Releases Broadband Market Assessment Report
- Massachusetts Invests $450,000 For Schools To Explore Regionalization
- West Virginia Launches Energy Star Sales Tax Holiday
- 82 New Mexico National Guard Troops Arrive On Mexican Border
- September Is Workforce Development Month In Florida
- Washington Launches Affordable Health Insurance For Small Business
- Ruth Colon Appointed Acting Secretary Of State For New York
- Governor Christie Vetoes New Jersey Maritime Commission Actions
- Rick Scott Chooses Jennifer Carroll As Lieutenant Governor
- Industry Leaders Honored At Georgia Tourism Conference
- Energy Industry Drives Texas Economy And Creates Jobs
- Pennsylvania Invests $20.5 Million To Create Clean Energy Jobs
- Governor Christie Seeks New Leadership For Newark Public Schools
