Bay County Deepwater Horizon update

At 5am EDT Monday, the center of Tropical Storm Alex was located about 656 miles southwest of the Deepwater Horizon well head site. Maximum sustained winds are near 50mph and Alex is expected to reach hurricane strength by Tuesday morning. The National Hurricane Center forecasts Alex continuing on a northwest track across the Bay of Campeche and the southwestern Gulf of Mexico today and tomorrow before turning to the west-northwest Wednesday and making a second landfall just south of the Mexico/Texas border Thursday.

Bay County Emergency Services Chief Mark Bowen said the storm could have an impact on how much oil Bay County sees, and when. "Right now, it's just too early to tell," he said. "It depends on the track -- it could be good for us; it could be very bad."

NOAA trajectories show the bulk of the oil remaining off Bay County shores through Wednesday. Click the diagram below to visit NOAA's Web site.

Click the image to view NOAA trajectories.

In other news:

-- Two decontamination stations inside the bay for recreational vessels are being identified, though they are not built out, according to U.S. Coast Guard Commander Mike Frender. Two decontamination stations are also staged in the gulf, with one located three miles south of the St. Andrews Pass and another seven miles south of the pass. Those stations are for commercial, military, response and recreational vessels that are actively sheening as a result of contact with oil product. Once they are operable, mariners should avoid using the stations inside the bay if possible and should make every attempt to utilize the stations in the Gulf, Frender said. Boaters whose vessels may have been affected by contact with oil may contact the U.S. Coast Guard on their VHF radios at Channel 16 or Channel 71. A new website, created by BP, lists vessel decontamination locations within the U.S. Coast Guard Mobile Sector for oiled boats.

-- 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 should 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.

-- The public is asked 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, as the emergency response system is for life-and-death situations, and Unified Command can better respond to beach cleanup requests if the local number is used.

-- Click here to visit NOAA trajectories.

-- 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. DEP conducted water and sediment sampling to use as a baseline and is monitoring air quality data. Statewide air quality monitoring is conducted in coordination with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Learn more here or here. An online mapping resource that contains up-to-date health advisory information for Florida's beach waters can be viewed here.

-- To report oil on the beach, a suspicious odor, oiled wildlife or for information about the oil release, please call (850) 248-6030.

-- BP's local claims office is located at 7938 Front Beach Road, in the shopping plaza near 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.

-- Oil spill employment opportunities in this area are available. Visit the state Web site for Gulf Recovery Jobs information.