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| Tarballs wash ashore in Bay County, cleanup efforts continue
BP contractors continued to monitor and clean Bay County beaches Sunday, after two bands of tarballs washed ashore from the area of the county pier west on Friday night and Saturday afternoon. All Bay County beaches remain open.
Bay County Chief of Emergency Services Mark Bowen said BP thus far has been responsive to beach clean up needs.
"If BP continues to respond in the manner they have been thus far, we are pleased," Bowen said. "However, as the situation changes, we want to make sure they continue to address needs in a timely manner. We're cautiously optimistic."
Bowen said Saturday that U.S. Coast Guard officials reported that skimming vessels were working to clean up an area of oil sheen containing large clumps of oil. The sheen is located approximately 5 miles offshore, south of Lake Powell, and is approximately one mile wide by two miles long.
U.S. Coast Guard Commander Mike Frender encouraged people to avoid contact with any tarballs or other oil product.
Nickel to half-dollar sized tarballs began washing ashore in Bay County late Friday.  |
BP has contracted TriState Bird Rescue and Research to perform all oiled wildlife rehabilitation for the event. There is a stabilization center in Panama City. If people see oiled wildlife, they need to report it to the oiled wildlife hotline 866-557-1401. BP has contracted responders who are to respond to reports within an hour of the call being received, according to a statement from the state Emergency Operations Center. Problems with response times may be reported to eocw@myfwc.com. Oiled wildlife may also be reported to the local Bay County hotline at 248-6030.
An oiled pied-billed grebe was found on west Penama City Beach Saturday. It was turned over to Tri-State for triage in Panama City and then transported to Pensacola for recovery.
Bowen 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 contracted Thursday with AshBritt, a Florida-based disaster-response company for 23 additional bay skimmers expected to arrive early this week. Bowen said Bay County is also proceeding with plans to further fortify the St. Andrew Bay Pass from oil intrusion.
BP contractors and AshBritt employees continue to stage boom throughout Bay County waterways.
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. |
| Weather updates
The upper level ridge will continue to slide westward today, allowing an upper level trough and a more unstable environment to move into the region. Weak disturbances will circulate around these upper level features throughout the day, allowing showers and thunderstorms to develop along the sea breeze boundaries. Storms within the Panhandle will likely form from the sea breeze and will diminish by the late evening. Some of these storms may become severe with frequent deadly lightning strikes, small hail, and wind gusts up to 50 mph.
This Afternoon: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 94. Heat index values as high as 105. Southwest wind around 5 mph.
Tonight: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 77. West southwest wind around 5 mph.
Oil Spill Forecast:
Light south-southwesterly winds will continue across the northern-central Gulf this afternoon. By Monday the winds will begin to shift to southeasterly. The Loop Current Ring remains detached from the Loop Current and very small amounts of sheen and tar balls will remain entrained in the eddy. A weak tropical wave near Puerto Rico has a very low (0%) chance of development during the next 48 hours.
According to the NOAA oil plume model, the oil plume remains 32 miles from Mexico Beach and 230 miles from St. Petersburg. The NOAA trajectories indicate a very slow easterly movement of the oil slick and the Florida Panhandle will continue to be threatened by shoreline contacts as far east as Panama City through Monday. However, the expected shift in winds will likely begin to push much of the oil plume towards the west-northwest later next week, though oil already near shore will continue to be pushed ashore by tidal currents.
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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. |
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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