Escambia Oil Update For Monday

June 7, 2010

Here is the latest Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill information specific to Escambia County for Monday, June 7:

  • If you see tar or oiled debris on the beach, DO NOT PICK IT UP. Report it to I-877-272-8335, #DEP from a cell phone or 1-866-448-5816.
  • If you find oiled or injured wildlife. DO NOT TOUCH. Report it to 1-866-557-1401.
  • The beaches at Pensacola Beach and Perdido Key remain open.
  • The presence of tar balls continue on Pensacola Beach and Perdido Key. Areas of impact include Perdido Key, Pensacola Beach and Gulf Islands National Seashore. The size of the materials typically range from 1/2 inch to 4 inches in size.
  • Today’s adverse weather delayed air reconnaissance, clean-up and assessment crews responding to the beach and in the Gulf of Mexico. Currently 350 members of clean-up crews have been deployed in Escambia County.
  • Earlier today reported distances of oil, sheen and tar balls varied by location along the Escambia County Coastline. It ranges from near shore to 5 miles out.
  • According to NOAA projections, additional impacts are expected throughout northwest Florida within the next 72 hours due to moderate /strong southwesterly winds.
  • Moderate southwest winds of 5-10 mhp will continue today, but will lessen and become more westerly tomorrow before shifting to the south-southeast on Tuesday. There is a 50-70 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms across the northern-central Gulf and a slight risk of severe weather across the eastern panhandle which will hamper recovery operations across the region. Light choppy seas of 2-4 feet expected today will lessen to 1-3 feet tomorrow. Weather conditions will improve tomorrow and rain chances will drop to 20-40 percent.
  • With the impact of tar balls and mats and the proximity of the sheen to area beaches, the Florida Department of Health has posted information and alerts about the health affects from the materials.
  • Reconnaissance flights and ATV beach patrols are being conducted daily, weather permitting, to monitor Florida’s shoreline for impact.
  • Escambia County Board of County Commissioners renewed the Local State of Emergency on Thursday, June 3 at the BOCC meeting.
  • Unified command continues to check, verify the condition and make repairs as needed to currently placed booms. The county will work with Unified Command on any placement of boom within navigable waterways.

British Petroleum (BP)
  • BP claims in Florida: 7,215 with approximately $4,920,897.45 paid.
  • There are reports of a scam involving individuals falsely representing themselves as BP employees and offering applicants training and promising job placement for a fee.  BP does not charge to train and hire applicants.  If you or someone you know has been charged for training, please contact law enforcement.
  • BP is providing a $100,000 grant through a Memorandum of Understanding with Volunteer Florida to maintain a database for the regulation of volunteers. BP’s Florida Gulf Response web site: www.floridagulfresponse.com.
  • File claims with BP online: http://www.bp.com/claims.
  • BP’s claims office is located at 3960 W. Navy Boulevard, Suite 16 & 17. The office is currently open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week, until further notice. BP claims categories
  • BP recommends anyone with a claim call 1-800-440-0858 to help expedite the process. By calling the claims number, adjusters at the claims office will have the information prior to your visit.
  • If you are not satisfied with BP’s resolution, call the Coast Guard at 1-800-280-7118.
  • The BP community outreach office is open for citizens at 435 East Government Street. Representatives are available to answer any questions on volunteering, vessels of opportunity program, or any other oil spill related questions. Phone: (850) 912-8640, fax: (850) 912-8755.
  • To register as a consultant, contractor, vendor or submit information on alternative response technology, services products or suggestions, call BP at 281-366-5511.
  • BP Vessels of Opportunity – see the master vessel charter agreement and vessel requirements checklist online www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com.
  • To pick up or deliver completed Vessels of Opportunity packets, visit BP’s Community Outreach office at 435 East Government Street. For information, call 281-366-5511.
  • Do not sign any documents in return from money from BP or anyone else until you know the extent of your loss. BP officials carry proper identification badges or business cards.
  • BP does not use contractors to contact or solicit volunteers for cleanup. All training offered by BP is free. There are no fees for classes or registration.
  • The Fish and Wildlife Service is working with Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research, contracted by BP to provide assistance to oiled wildlife. All rehabilitation efforts must be coordinated through the service and Tri-State. Specific safety and other requirements must be met before anyone will be allowed on-site for any participation. If you have wildlife training, call 1-866-557-1401.
  • Boaters are requested to report sightings of broken, disconnected or adrift boom and are asked to keep their distance from boom especially at night or in conditions of restricted visibility. Please report damaged, vandalized, adrift or stolen boom to: 1-866-448-5816. See details.

Federal (NOAA)
  • Saturday, June 5, NOAA adjusted the boundaries of the closed fishing area, adding 565 square miles at the northeast edge. On June 4, NOAA revised the fishery closure zone to open the Florida Keys and the Dry Tortugas to commercial and recreational fishing. All commercial and recreational fishing including catch and release is prohibited in the closed area in the federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Closing fishing in these areas is a precautionary measure to ensure that seafood from the Gulf will remain safe for consumers. See details: http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov.

State of Florida (DEP, FWC)

Escambia County Board of County Commissioners and Staff
  • Sunday, June 6, based on the changing conditions, boom is being reconfigured in five locations to protect the bayous and estuaries. This reconfiguration will not hinder navigational access to those waterways. The County is currently working on the booms located at Bayou Davenport, Bayou Grande, Palafox Marina, Lafitte Cove and Star Lake. Booming Locations and Booming Maps.
  • Escambia County will be opening field offices on Pensacola Beach and Perdido Key on Monday, June 7. These offices will be assisting in answering questions from the public and acting as staging areas for the County monitoring teams. The Perdido Key field office will be located at 13578 Perdido Key Dr. and the Pensacola Beach field office will be located at 5 Via Deluna, Suite 8.
  • Escambia County has allocated over $3 million local dollars to date.
  • Secondary and tertiary boom staging began Tuesday, June 1.
  • Escambia County has recived $700,000 in funding for tourism promotion with the Escambia County Tourism Development Council, with another $700,000 to be allocated in 45 days.
  • EOC briefings will be held at 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. until further notice.
  • Escambia County’s Emergency Operations Center returned to a Level 2 (partial) activation.
  • Hurricane season began June 1. See the Hurricanes and Oil Spill Fact Sheet (PDF)
  • Escambia County is evaluating every viable proposal for coastal protection and recovery, coordinating with Unified Command and will share information as it is approved.
  • Escambia County, in conjunction with the University of West Florida, is collecting gulf water samples from Santa Rosa Island and Perdido Key weekly to indicate any changes in water quality.
  • On inland waters (bays, bayous, estuaries, rivers), private property owners may install oil absorbent material, booms or fences on private property above the mean high waterline (MHWL) only. No material may be installed or sprayed below the MHWL.
  • On gulf-front property, the use of silt fences, obstructions, hay bales, peat, surfactants or other material is not approved. DEP is the permitting agency for beaches and coastal systems. No obstructions to sea turtle nesting behavior is allowed.
  • Residents and business owners with water access on their property should have pre-assessments prepared (photos, video, etc. documenting the current condition of the property).
  • If citizens see anything unusual on the beaches they feel needs to be reported:
    • Contact the Perdido Key Chamber of Commerce at 850-492-4660 on Perdido Key
    • Report to the lifeguards on duty on Pensacola Beach
  • Deflective boom – large floating barriers that help contain floating oil – has been deployed in all locations of the Local Action Plan and Addendum One. See boom deployment progress report and map. Staff continues to evaluate areas and is monitoring all deployed boom.
  • To keep waterways open as long as possible, boom is “wet staged” at some locations. When floating petroleum becomes an imminent threat, boom will be fully deployed. “Fully deployed boom” is described as boom anchored into a functional configuration.

Local Beaches
  • Personnel from The University of West Florida will be performing water quality testing on Pensacola Beach and Perdido Key, on Monday, June 7 with initial results available Tuesday.
  • SRIA lifeguards continue patrolling beaches for oil from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
  • In the event beaches are impacted by the oil spill, it may be necessary to issue health advisories to protect health and safety.
    • The Florida Department of Health will issue advisories as they become necessary for the area of affected water and shoreline.
    • Beaches above the high tide line should remain open for sunbathing, walking, shopping and dining. The exact area for the advisories will be determined at the time oil is reported.

City of Pensacola
  • The City of Pensacola continues to coordinate with Escambia County officials.

Volunteer Opportunities
  • The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) has determined volunteers cannot be used in any situation where they may come in contact with oiled shorelines or oiled wildlife.
  • To volunteer, call BP at 1-866-448-5816.

Safety Information
  • If you see a tar ball on the beach, DO NOT PICK IT UP. Report it to 1-866-448-5816.

Wildlife

  • Do not attempt to rescue oiled or injured birds or wildlife as this may cause additional injuries.
  • If oiled, injured or dead wildlife are found, call the Oiled Wildlife Hotline at 1-866-557-1401. Please provide location of where the wildlife was sighted.

Boats

  • Boats should keep a safe distance from the booms. Do not drive boats over booms.
  • Boat owners are urged to dry-dock boats. Do not drive your boat through slicks or sheens.

Beaches and Waterways

  • Citizens should take precautions around waterways to avoid contact with oil substances.
  • Officials are closely monitoring potential public health and environmental concerns.

Personal Safety

  • Gulf coast residents may detect an odor because of the oil spill. Some are more sensitive to these odors and may experience nasal irritation and feelings of nausea. In combination with seasonal allergies or pre-existing respiratory conditions, some may experience more severe symptoms. For Air Quality Reports, see http://www.epa.gov/bpspill/air.html.
  • Individuals who have pre-existing medical conditions, such as asthma or other respiratory illness should contact their health care provider if feeling symptomatic.
  • If you see or smell oil, leave immediately. Avoid skin contact with oil or oil-contaminated water.
  • Do not swim or ski in areas affected by oil, and if you travel through the area by boat, take care when hoisting the anchor. Restrict pets from entering oil-contaminated areas.
  • If you get oil on your skin, wash it off with soap and water.
  • Do not fish in the oil spill-affected waters. Do not harvest and eat dead fish, fish with oily residue or fish that have a petroleum odor.
  • Young children, pregnant women, people with compromised immune systems, and individuals with underlying respiratory conditions should avoid the area.
  • Report oiled shorelines to 1-866-448-5816.

Business Information
  • More information about what types of damages are eligible for compensation under the Oil Pollution Act as well as guidance to seek compensation can be found at www.uscg.mil/npfc.
  • Florida emergency management and economic development staff are gathering information from businesses impacted by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Please complete their survey and help shape Florida’s response to this event. The survey will be updated periodically.
  • Take detailed records of cancelled reservations. When cancellations occur, ask the party if the cancellation is related the oil spill. Keep the person’s name and contact information, and the revenues lost as a result of the cancellation.
  • Businesses that may be negatively impacted due to the oil spill, are asked to keep detailed profit and loss records should a claim need to be presented.
  • Calculate estimated losses for a six-week period and be able to provide records, sales receipts and documentation to support your claim. Compare business to a five-year average of revenues between May and June, which can offer insight as to the damages incurred.
  • Make a detailed list of assets, including non-structural, and include appropriate records to support the list. Example: if your hotel or restaurant is within walking distance to the beach and that beach has oil reach its shores, the business’s assets could be damaged even though there is no physical damage to the structure. It is important to record this depreciation.

Citizen Information

  • The Citizens’ Information Line is open, 471-6600, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Florida Oil Spill Information Line is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, 1-888-337-3569.
Important Phone Numbers For Citizens

To report oil on the beach or shoreline:

  • 1-866-448-5816
  • 1-877-2SAVEFL or 1-877-272-8335
  • #DEP from a cell phone.

To report oiled wildlife:

  • 1-866-557-1401

BP Claims:

  • 1-800-440-0858

To report damaged, vandalized, adrift or stolen boom:

  • 1-866-448-5816
  • 1-800-320-0519

Escambia County Citizen’s Information Line:

  • 471-6600

Florida Oil Spill Information Line:

  • 1-888-337-3569

Comments

One Response to “Escambia Oil Update For Monday”

  1. Chumuckla Proud on June 7th, 2010 7:37 am

    Once again Obama is headed in this direction….once again we will hear this “famous orator’s” new Chicago-style spiel, then he will leave, and, once again we will be left with empty promises and holding the bag.

    Walking the shoreline and “touching” a tar ball isn’t going to bring him to the realization of what is happening…taking him out to the actual mess on one of our fishermen’s boats, letting him breathe in that stench, and dragging his bare arm in the water for about 15 minutes may be a convincer. After that, he needs to hold (in his arms) one of the oil drenched pelicans that is about to take its last breath here on earth.

    God help us.