May 4, 2010
The oil spilling into the Gulf of Mexico as a result of the explosion aboard the drilling rig Deepwater Horizon 50 miles off the Louisiana coast has resulted in a declaration of a state of emergency in 19 Florida counties. Yesterday Gov. Charlie Crist expanded the state of emergency south to Sarasota County, adding it to Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Bay, Gulf, Franklin, Wakulla, Jefferson, Taylor, Dixie, Levy, Citrus, Hernando, Pasco, Pinellas, Hillsborough, and Manatee counties.
Below are links to two articles from The New York Times; one summarizes the events of April 20 when the explosion occurred aboard the drilling rig leased by oil company BP and the events that followed. The second article is a news analysis comparing – as much as possible at this early date – this disaster with past oil spills.
For a summary of the event, go to
http://www.purre.org/news-OilSpillSummary.php
For a news analysis, click on
http://www.purre.org/news-OilSpillAnalysis.php
The PURRE Water Coalition is continuing to gather information to help members educate themselves, keep up-to-date on the latest information, and prepare for the possibility that this region may be affected by the disaster. For the latest updates released by the federal and state governments, people can monitor the following websites:
* www.incidentnews.gov/incident/8220 , which is NOAA’s National Ocean Service (The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
*
www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com
*
www.dep.state.fl.us/deepwaterhorizon/default.htm
Other sites for information include:
* The U.S. Coast Guard at www.uscg.mil/default.asp (note: this site was temporarily down when this was posted)
* USF College of Marine Science Optical Oceanography Laboratory at
http://optics.marine.usf.edu/events/GOM_rigfire
* The Gulf Coast Coastal Ocean Observing System at http://gcoos.tamu.edu
* National Geographic Daily News at http://news.nationalgeographic.com
* For the effect of oil spills on coral reefs, go to NOAA’s site:
http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/topic_subtopic_entry.php
(The following info was obtained from the Captiva Erosion Prevention District - thank you!)
What is the State of Florida Doing?
The State Emergency Response Team, in support of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) as the lead response agency for the state of Florida, is actively monitoring the Deepwater Horizon response.
DEP has conducted water and sediment sampling to use as a baseline for ongoing monitoring.
DEP is continuously monitoring air quality data. The current air quality is considered to be good statewide. The public is encouraged to monitor this data at http://www.airnow.gov/ or http://www.epa.gov/bpspill/ .
DEP, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), county governments, water management districts and several federal agencies continue to conduct pre-impact assessments, including sampling of water, fish, shellfish and habitats along the Florida coastline and into the Gulf of Mexico.
Statewide monitoring is ongoing in coordination with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Panhandle-specific data is expected to be completed early this week. To view Florida's air quality data, visit
http://www.airnow.gov/ or http://www.epa.gov/bpspill/ .
The State Emergency Response Team has representatives at the Unified Command at the U.S. Coast Guard's Sector Mobile, helping to coordinate the efforts to protect Florida's shoreline.
Emergency Support Function 15, Volunteers and Donations, successfully spearheaded pre-impact beach cleanups over the weekend of May 1-2. More than 1,200 volunteers participated in cleanups in Escambia, Santa Rosa, and Wakulla counties to minimize the effect of the Deepwater Horizon incident.
Volunteer Florida offers guidance for conducting safe pre-impact beach cleanups at www.VolunteerFlorida.org.
Volunteer Opportunities
The Governor's Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service is encouraging residents along the Florida Panhandle to participate in local beach cleanup events this weekend. For information on scheduled beach cleanups and other volunteer opportunities in your area, visit www.VolunteerFlorida.org. Or to request volunteer information call (866) 448-5816.
In addition, BP has announced the following hotlines:
For volunteer information: 1-866- 448-5816.
To report oiled wildlife: 1-866-557- 1401
To report oiled shoreline: 1-866- 448-5816
Contractors wishing to provide assistance (taking calls from contractors offering services or products): 1-985- 902-5231
To file damage claims (loss of income, bodily injury, property damage):
1-800-440-0858.
