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.
