It’s going to be a beautiful weekend everyone!  Great weather is in the forecast and as you can see below we are clear of oil for the weekend as well!  Tara and I made a video this morning with the dogs on the beach.  It is pretty cheesy but so am I!!! 

Thank you to everyone for the encouragement and for waiting this out with us.  We know it’s a little scary, it is to us too.  We have faith it will all be great in the end and our beautiful beaches will still be here for all to enjoy.   

The oil slick still has not reached the beaches of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach and, according to NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) forecasts, is not expected to for at least 72 hours. Forecasts beyond 72 hours are not available.

Everything is still amazingly beautiful friends.  We feel blessed to be here each day able to enjoy this serene place.  We are looking forward to seeing all of our friends this summer.  Our maintenance staff is busy making everything beautiful and ready for the busy summer season.  We can’t wait for everyone to return to their beach home for some rest and fun in the sun.  Below is the daily update from the Gulf Shores.com website, all good new still for Gulf Shores and Ft. Morgan.

• Sporadic quantities of tarballs were found washed up on the beach Tuesday in areas between Lagoon Pass in Gulf Shores west to Fort Morgan. Contracted crews immediately went to work to clean the affected areas. Currently beaches across the island are clear.
• There have been no reports of oil odor along the beaches of Gulf Shores, Orange Beach or Fort Morgan. At its closest point, the slick is approximately 50-60 miles away from the most western tip of our island.
• The Alabama Department of Public Health and Alabama Department of Environmental Management stated that there is no foreseeable need to close beaches and, short of a drastic change, they have no plans to do so.
• Tarballs travel independently of an oil slick and are not an indication that the slick itself will travel in the same direction or to the same area. The oil slick still has not reached the beaches of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach and, according to NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) forecasts, is not expected to for at least 72 hours. Forecasts beyond 72 hours are not available.
• According to NOAA, tarballs DO NOTpose a health risk to the average person. However, beachgoers are advised not to pick them up if they encounter any on the beach. Click hereto read NOAA’s information about tarballs.
• NOAA is providing daily updates to the closed fishing area, based on changes in the size or direction of the oil slick. To view the most recent map, visit https://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/.
• Although NOAA has closed commercial and recreational fishing in a limited area between the mouth of the Mississippi River and Florida’s Pensacola Bay, there is a large area of the gulf still open. Charter boats are leaving Orange Beach, Gulf Shores & Fort Morgan every day to fish areas up to 25-30 miles out and in our inshore waters.
• All appropriate preventative measures, including oil-absorbing booms, are being used along Alabama’s beaches, bays, inlets and sensitive areas in an effort to prevent oil from reaching our shores. Researchers and scientists have indicated that any impact directly on the beaches can potentially be cleaned effectively and fairly quickly.
• National, state and local response teams are deployed at sites along the coast to deal with local effects.
• Official information pertinent to our local area is being posted here. This is confirmedinformation provided by the Unified Command response team (Coast Guard, Homeland Security, NOAA, Department of the Interior, BP and Transocean) and local emergency management officials. For detailed information about forecasts, visit the NOAA response site. To learn about the entire incident, visit www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com.

Sorry for the lag in postings everyone.  I wanted to take this opportunity to catch you up on  our local beaches in Ft. Morgan.  Below is the update from the Gulfshores.com website.  The weather has been A-MAZ-ING,   not to warm, great breeze, blue sky’s and amber sunshine!  It is rare that the beach gets more beautiful than this.  We had a gorgeous wedding this weekend for Tracy and Jeff Fox.  Everyone we spoke to had a wonderful time, so much so that they want to come back next year.  In fact I just got a call they want to come back today.  So they are coming back for another night of peace and quiet on the beautiful beach.  YAY!!!!

The forecast from our local news station showed the oil continuing to move west away from our beaches.  I am posting some pictures below.  So you can see how beautiful everything is.  The first one is of our beach but you can see the protective booms being placed in the water, just in case!  The second one is of my friend Mr. Hockman, as you can see he is having a WONDERFUL time!!!  We hope to see you soon!!!!

• There are currently no effects of the oil spill in the water or on the beaches of Gulf Shores & Orange Beach and, according to NOAA forecasts, no shoreline impact is expected for at least 72 hours. Forecasts beyond 72 hours are not possible. At this point, the extent of any potential impact is unclear, but officials are increasingly optimistic that any impact we might receive will be minor.
• While there have been reports of tar balls on Dauphin Island, on the west side of Mobile Bay, none have been seen or reported on the beaches of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach.
• The Alabama Department of Public Health and Alabama Department of Environmental Management stated last Wednesday that there is no foreseeable need to close beaches and, short of a drastic change, they have no plans to do so.

Gulf Oil Spill Update, Friday, May 7, 11:00 a.m.

• There are currently no effects of the oil spill in the water or on the beaches of Gulf Shores & Orange Beach and, according to NOAA forecasts, no shoreline impact is expected for at least 72 hours. Forecasts beyond 72 hours are not possible. At this point, the extent of any potential impact is unclear, but officials are increasingly optimistic that any impact we might receive will be minor.
• The Alabama Department of Public Health and Alabama Department of Environmental Management stated Wednesday that there is no foreseeable need to close beaches and, short of a drastic change, they have no plans to do so.
• Although NOAA has closed commercial and recreational fishing in a limited area between the mouth of the Mississippi River and Florida’s Pensacola Bay, there is large area of the gulf still open. Charter boats are leaving Orange Beach, Gulf Shores & Fort Morgan every day to fish areas up to 20 miles out and in our very plentiful inshore waters.
• All appropriate preventative measures, including oil-absorbing booms, are being used along Alabama’s beaches, bays, inlets and sensitive areas in an effort to prevent oil from reaching our shores. Researchers and scientists have indicated that any impact directly on the beaches can potentially be cleaned effectively and fairly quickly.
• National, state and local response teams are deployed at sites along the coast to deal with local effects.
• Official information pertinent to our local area is being posted here. This is confirmed information provided by the Unified Command response team (Coast Guard, Homeland Security, NOAA, Department of the Interior, BP and Transocean) and local emergency management officials. For detailed information about the entire incident visit www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com and response.restoration.noaa.gov.

I want to reassure everyone the beaches are still the beautiful white sandy beaches you have always known.  Our amazing wildlife is flourishing all around and the little ones are starting to peek their heads out, everywhere we turn!  It is a great time to be at the beach, small, to no crowds and perfect weather!  Below are some answers to some of our most often asked questions, lately.  I have also included the daily update for the Gulf Shores.com website about our local area. 

Lance LeFleur, Director of the Alabama Department of Environmental Management:

 There is an Area Contingency Plan (ACP)(https://ocean.floridamarine.org/acp/mobacp/) created for these kinds of situations that has been vetted by all agencies involved (which is now being followed).

 At the wellhead, they are injecting dispersants at depth, causing the oil slick to break up into small oil droplets that are rapidly diluted and subsequently biodegraded by micro-organisms occurring naturally in the marine environment.  Exposure to air, sunlight, & wave action also degrades the oil. They are also restarting the in situ burning today.

 There is a two-stage protective process planned for the shorelines – shallow water skimmers & booms to catch what they miss. The booms  are being tended and repositioned as needed – the placement is determined by the ACP. The highest priority at this moment is to close off Mobile & Perdido Bay entrances. The port of Mobile will remain open, using a decontamination process for ships entering the area (there will also be a decontamination station at Weeks Bay).

 Once the bays are protected, all resources will be focused on the beaches. So far, 7,000 volunteers have called the 1-866 number & BP will donate hourly wages for those volunteers to their chosen volunteer organizations.   

Below is the update from the Convention and Visitor’s Breaue

• There are currently no effects of the oil spill on the beaches of Gulf Shores & Orange Beach and, according to NOAA forecasts, no shoreline impact is expected for at least 72 hours. Forecasts beyond 72 hours are not possible. At this point, the extent of any potential impact is unclear.
• Although NOAA has closed commercial and recreational fishing in a limited area between the mouth of the Mississippi River and Florida’s Pensacola Bay, there is large area of the gulf still open. Charter boats are leaving Orange Beach, Gulf Shores & Fort Morgan every day to fish areas up to 20 miles out and in our very plentiful inshore waters.
• All appropriate preventive measures, including oil-absorbing booms, are being used along Alabama’s beaches, bays, inlets and sensitive areas in an effort to prevent oil from reaching the shores. Officials are optimistic that any impact directly on the beaches can potentially be cleaned effectively and fairly quickly.
• National, state and local response teams are deployed at sites along the coast to deal with local effects.
• Official information pertinent to our local area is being posted here. This is confirmedinformation provided by the Unified Command response team (Coast Guard, Homeland Security, NOAA, Department of the Interior, BP and Transocean) and local emergency management officials. For detailed information about the entire incident visit www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com and response.restoration.noaa.gov.