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Oil Spill Response Limited On Saturday
May 2, 2010
The surface area of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has tripled; President Barack Obama is expected to visit the Gulf Coast today, and local emergency operations centers in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties are in operation.
The response to the Deepwater Horizon incident continued on Saturday with only limited operations due to rough weather in the Gulf.
The National Response Team (NRT), an organization of 16 federal departments and agencies responsible for coordinating emergency preparedness and response to oil and hazardous substance pollution incidents was quickly activated and a coordinated group of federal partners-including the United States Coast Guard, Departments of Homeland Security, Commerce, Interior and the Environmental Protection Agency-immediately began directing and overseeing BP’s response.
Coastal protection and booming operations under the direction of the Unified Command Mobile are ongoing, actively deploying as rapidly as possible as part of the strategic plan across Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida panhandle, Unified Command Mobile said today. The protective measures are targeting the barrier islands and prioritized environmentally sensitive areas.
Additional areas will be designated for booming as trajectories are updated each day.
Overall, the combined response has deployed 275,580 feet of boom, staged 316,470 feet, and has on order an additional 250,000 feet. About 55,000 feet of the boom has been deployed in the waters of Escambia County.
“The Unified Command is working diligently to ensure that all possible resources are being employed in the response to the oil spill,” said Coast Guard Capt. Steven Poulin, commander of Coast Guard Sector Mobile.
Pictured above: U.S. Environmental Services’ workers move oil containment boom onto a supply boat in the Gulf of Mexico. Staging areas have been set up along the Gulf Coast, including Pensacola Naval Air Station, to actively identify, target and protect environmentally and economically sensitive areas. U.S. Coast Guard photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
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