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.
