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Suspected oil sightings should be reported to local hotline
Bay County Emergency Services Chief Mark Bowen on Friday encouraged the public to report suspected oil sightings on Bay County shores or in the Gulf to Bay County's hotline at (850) 248-6030, rather than calling 9-1-1.
"The 9-1-1 system is for life-and-death emergencies," Bowen said. "While the oil is an emegency as well, we don't want to tie up our
9-1-1 operators if we don't have to. We can better respond to the situation if people call the hotline."
Bay County continues to monitor the oil spill as it slowly moves eastward, though no further impacts have been reported in Bay County as of Friday evening. Weather reports show little movement of the slick because of a shift in the wind. The county remains within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's "area of concern," meaning some areas of Bay County could potentially be affected by tar balls, tar mats, sheen or a mousse-like substance.
Bay County contracted Thursday with AshBritt, a Florida-based disaster-response company, for additional boom and 23 additional bay skimmers. The county has been in discussions with the company for well over a month for the extra equipment. Bowen said Bay County is also proceeding with plans to further fortify the St. Andrew Bay Pass from oil intrusion.
As BP contractors and AshBritt employees continue to stage boom throughout Bay County waterways, U.S. Coast Guard Cmdr. Mike Frender encouraged boaters to avoid running over boom with their vessels.
Other Bay County actions:
- Local State of Emergency extended until June 24, 2010.
- Bay County requested the deployment of 200 National Guard troops with full command and control support to assist with operations associated with the Deepwater Horizon response. Bay County requested personnel for Public Affairs, Planning, Finance and other essential Emergency Support Functions to support Bay County EOC.
- Bay County can provide at no charge through Gulf Coast Community College required OSHA Haz Mat training to all military units staged in our county. Additionally we would be able to host any other necessary training for these units in one of our nine classrooms.
- Facilitated nighttime operations for BP work crews in coordination with the FWC to ensure protection of sensitive species.
- Responded to several reports of seaweed/seagrass that were mistaken for oil product.
The state Department of Environmental Protection and the state Department of Health continue to conduct water and air quality sampling. To learn more about the sampling and for health advisories concerning the Deepwater Horizon oil release, click here.
To report oil on the beach, a suspicious odor, oiled wildlife or for information about the oil release, please call (850) 248-6030. |
State launches new oil spill employment Web site
Florida has announced a new website - Florida Gulf Recovery Jobs - which will allow job seekers to locate and apply for positions created to manage the response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The site will act as a dedicated portal through the state's official online job bank Employ Florida Marketplace. The Marketplace, which has been live since 2005, is currently listing over 3,500 positions related to the oil spill response effort along with other job openings across the state.
Florida Gulf Recovery Jobs is a joint venture between Workforce Florida Inc. and the Agency for Workforce Innovation. These two entities will work together with 24 regional workforce boards statewide to coordinate everything through the single website. The state hopes that the new site will be the go-to location for job seekers and employers for employment information that is fully verified.
The site will also serve as a place to house and use training information for the specialized skills needed for many of these positions. Over 2,400 workers have already been trained for oil spill related positions. The state also set up 93 local One-Stop Career Centers which work in tandem with the site to provide Floridians with employment and training information.
Floridians may also call 1-877-362-5034 to learn more about available jobs related to response and recovery efforts. |
Weather updates
According to the NOAA oil plume model, the oil plume remains 50 miles from Mexico Beach and 231 miles from St. Petersburg. The NOAA 72 hour forecast indicates very little if any eastward movement of the oil plume given the wind shift. As a result of the forecasted winds, coastal impacts are expected to be slightly reduced, but oil already present near shore may continue to be transported ashore by tidal currents as far east as Panama City. High pressure will linger across the Gulf of Mexico as a dissipating frontal boundary slips south into Georgia and South Carolina. Light northwesterly morning winds will shift to the west-southwest with the sea breeze Friday and Saturday. A shift to the wind is forecast to occur Sunday as high pressure north of the region produces a wind out of the east or southeast. A 30-50% chance of showers and storms through the weekend may hamper oil recovery operations. A tropical wave just east of the Leeward Islands remains poorly organized. |
NOAA closes federal waters off Bay County to fishing
Federal waters off Panama City Beach are closed to all fishing as of 5 p.m. today, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Approximately 33.4 percent of federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico are now closed, according to a news release. Federal waters due south of Shell Island are not included in the closed area. Click here to see the map. |
| Visit Bay County Web site for additional information
Unified Command produces an incident action plan (IAP) every 48 hours weekdays on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The IAP contains the newest information regarding the release response in red so that it is easily discernable from more dated information. The IAP is the best way for the general public to keep abreast of all the latest news concerning the oil release. These are posted to the county's Web site for public review as soon as they are prepared and provide the most current information about the oil release.
To view the latest IAP, click here. You may also call the EOC information hotline at (850) 248-6030 for information.
Click here to visit the Bay County Web site.
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BP claims, outreach offices open
BP has opened a claims office at 7938 Front Beach Road, located in the shopping plaza adjacent to the Bay Street Deli. Business owners and those who have been affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil release may use this as a resource for recouping their financial losses. BP advises that people filing claims should still call the toll-free number to enter their information into the claims database. That number is (800) 440-0858. BP also has opened a community support office located at 3101 U.S. 98, across the street from Howell Marine and Tackle Supply. At this office, BP can provide information about the oil release and answer community questions. Bay County continues to monitor the release and work with the U.S. Coast Guard in the ongoing effort to prepare for any effects of the oil release that may be realized here. For more information about the release and efforts being made to contain it, visit www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com. |
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Bay County will continue to strive to provide residents and visitors with the most current information.
Sincerely,
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Bay County Public Information Officer Valerie Lovett
Bay County Board of County Commissioners |
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