Oil spill update for 05/12/10 in Ft. Morgan

The latest update from the convention and visitors bureau is below. I spent some time out of the office on the beach it is as pretty as it gets down there. The water is perfectly clear, not too hot, and of course sugar white sand still there as always. Our friends the Hockman family sent us some more, great pictures to show everyone.

Thanks guys for sharing your family memories with everyone!!!

1.) There have been no reports of 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.
2.) The Alabama Department of Public Health and Alabama Department of Environmental Management has stated that there is no foreseeable need to close beaches and, short of a drastic change, they have no plans to do so.
3.) 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.

May 11, 2010

May 11 Oil Spill Update!!!

Good afternoon everyone. I wanted to let you know we have some new information from the CVB. WE STILL HAVE NO OIL ON THE BEACHES AND NO SMELL IN THE AIR!!!!! YAY!!!!! We have gotten reports of tar balls, but we have not seen any on our beaches. I am sure you have heard lots of talk about tar balls. I wanted to give you a little information about these so you would be informed about what they are. As I am sure you have noticed the national news ahas been rather deceiving about this entire incident putting everyone in a panic when very few places have had impact from this incident.

So what is a tar ball???? I actually remember these from my childhood on the beaches in Pensacola. Thes are the little pieces of tar that stick to your feet when you walk on the beach. I was always told as a child these were from when the road broke up during the hurricanes, it is the asphalt. It gets so hot on the beach and in such small pieces it just melts. These also occurnaturally. Without out lots of testing no one really knows where they come from. I have vivid memories of picking these up and stepping on them as a little girl. Some were hard, some were sticky, but we saw them so seldomly it wasn’t anything we really even paid atttention to.

I am saying all of this to ease your mind about the latest news sensation. These tars balls are nothing to fret about, but as always if there is a problem we will certainly let you know. According to John and Tara no oil balls on our beach!!!!

Check out the video they shot today

May 10, 2010

Monday 05/10/10 Oil Updatefor Ft. Morgan

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.

May 7, 2010

May 7, 2010 Oil and Beach Update

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.

May 6, 2010

Gulf Oil Spill Update, Thursday, May 6, 9:00 a.m.

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.

May 5, 2010

Oil Updates 05/05/2010

No Oil Impact in Gulf Shores & Orange Beach

Like everyone in our area we are closely monitoring the oil spill off the coast of Louisiana via official sources locally and at the incident site. To date, our beaches have not been impacted by the spill. They are as gorgeous and sparkling white as ever. We wish we could answer all your questions and predict what will happen in the coming weeks, but all we can do is continue to update you on the facts as they stand today:Take a look at https://www.weartv.com/ for the most current local forecast and news on how the oil is impacting our area.

Currently no oil has reached the beaches of Gulf Shores & Orange Beach and, according to NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) forecasts, no shoreline impact is expected for at least 72 hours. Forecasts beyond 72 hours are not possible.
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.
Under directive of Governor Bob Riley protective measures, including oil-absorbing booms, continue to be placed along Alabama’s beaches, bays and inlets in an effort to prevent oil from reaching our shores. Officials are optimistic that any direct impact to beaches can potentially be cleaned effectively and fairly quickly.
If you have questions about upcoming reservations, please contact your rental management company or hotel/motel directly.

May 4, 2010

Oil spill information for 05/3 & 05/04

Oil Spill Information

05/03/10 1pm – Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Update

Monday, May 03, 2010

Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Update
Dated: 5/3/10 at 1:00 p.m.

Jeff Amy in an article on AL.com quoted Governor Bob Riley that no landfall was expected in Alabama through at least Wednesday evening.
In other good news the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) projections showed that the part of the oil slick that extended east from Mobile Bay toward Pensacola would break up by this morning (Monday, May 3, 2010).
“The entire eastern portion of the sheen seems to have disappeared,” said Phil Woods of the Alabama Department of Environmental Management. “It’s breaking down rapidly. The solids that remain are emulsified. And while they are going to be hard to deal with, we’re not going to have black beaches.”
The wind will swing to the due south, pushing the oil more toward Mississippi and Alabama. Seas are predicted to calm tonight and stay that way the rest of the week, allowing boats to try to skim the oil and more effectively lay boom.

1.) There currently is no impact from 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. At this point, the extent of any potential impact is unclear.

2.) NOAA is closing commercial and recreational fishing in federal waters between the mouth of the Mississippi River to Florida’s Pensacola Bay. The closure begins immediately and is in effect for at least 10 days. However, fishing is open in waters up to 20 miles out in the Gulf and our inshore waters and charter boats are still going out from Orange Beach.

3.) Governor Bob Riley has committed to placing preventive measures, including oil-absorbing booms, along Alabama’s beaches, at the mouths of bays and inlets, and in sensitive areas all along the coast 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.

4.) National, state and local response teams are deployed at sites along the coast to deal with local effects.

5.) Official information pertinent to our local area is being posted at gulfshores.com. Click the yellow “Oil Spill” link at the top of the page. This is the most recent confirmed information provided by the unified 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 https://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/doc/2931/530631 or https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/.

6.) We will continue to monitor the incident and post information updates at gulfshores.com (click the yellow link at the top of the page) as they become available.

*Additional resources for Industry Partners and residents

1.) BP is now accepting claims for the Gulf Coast oil spill. Please call BP’s helpline at 1-800-440-0858. A BP fact sheet with additional information is available on the Deepwater Response website. Those who have already pursued the BP claims process and are not satisfied with BP’s resolution can call the Coast Guard at 1-800-280-7118. More information about what types of damages are eligible for compensation under the Oil Pollution Act as well as guidance on procedures to seek that compensation can be found at https://www.uscg.mil/npfc.

2.) We appreciate the tremendous outpouring of concern for Alabama’s coast. Volunteers are asked not to self-deploy at this time. Those with an interest in volunteering should the need arise, are asked to contact volunteer banks by dialing 2-1-1 or 888-421-1266. They can also contact the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program at 251-431-6409 or mbnep@mobilebaynep.com with the following information: name, address, phone, email and resources (boat, kayak, etc.). Please be patient while volunteer needs and training opportunities are determined.

3.) A toll-free number (866-557-1401) has been established to report oiled or injured wildlife. People are urged not to attempt to help injured or oil animals, but to report any sightings via the toll-free number.

4.) The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) has prepared some precautions to be aware of and they can be found on their website. ADPH has NOT issued any advisories at this point.

May 3, 2010

Latest local Oil Spill Information 05/03

May 2, 2010, 3:00 p.m.

There are currently no effects of the oil spill on the beaches in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. According to NOAA forecasts, shoreline impact along Alabama’s coast may occur early in the week. At this point, the extent of that impact is unclear.
NOAA is closing commercial and recreational fishing in federal waters between the mouth of the Mississippi River to Florida’s Pensacola Bay. The closure begins immediately and is in effect for at least 10 days while researchers take water samples to determine the safety of seafood taken from the affected area.
Teams of responders have placed oil-absorbing booms at the mouths of bays, inlets and in sensitive areas all along the coast. These areas receive priority protection because they are the most vulnerable.
Governor Bob Riley has committed to placing preventive measures including booms along Alabama’s beaches 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 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.
We appreciate the tremendous outpouring of concern for Alabama’s Gulf Coast. Volunteers are asked not to self-deploy at this time. Those with an interest in volunteering should the need arise, are asked to contact volunteer banks by dialing 2-1-1 or 888-421-1266. They can also contact the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program at 251-431-6409 or mbnep@mobilebaynep.com with the following information: name, address, phone, email and resources (boat, kayak, etc.). Please be patient while volunteer needs and training opportunities are determined.
We will continue to monitor the incident and post information updates as they become available.

April 29, 2010

Oil Spill Update 4-29-10

Oil Spill Update 4-29-10, 9:30 a.m.

Like everyone along the Gulf Coast, the CVB is monitoring the clean-up of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. We are relying on official updates from the on-site incident team as our source of information. .

According to local officials there is no shoreline impact forecast for Gulf Shores and Orange Beach for at least the next 72 hours. There is no official forecast beyond 72 hours.
BP is proactively placing booms at the mouths of bays, inlets and in sensitive areas all along the coast. This is a precautionary measure in the event that our area is affected directly by the spill.
State-of-the-art equipment is in place to respond if there is any movement toward any area of shoreline along the Gulf Coast and local experts are monitoring wind and water conditions. Officials in Gulf Shores & Orange Beach have a coordinated response plan in place if it becomes necessary for our area.
Official information is being posted by the response team (Coast Guard, Homeland Security, NOAA, Department of the Interior, BP and Transocean) and updated several times each day at https://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com and https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/.
Volunteers are not needed at this time and are asked not to self-deploy to the Alabama coast. Those with an interest in volunteering should the need arise, are asked to contact the state-organized volunteer bank by dialing 2-1-1 or 888-421-1266. This allows the state to contact volunteers if they are needed at a later date.
We will continue to monitor the incident and post additional information IF coastal impact becomes an issue.

April 28, 2010

Oil Spill Update 04/28/10

Oil Spill Update and Talking Points 4-28-10, 12:15 p.m.

Like everyone along the Gulf Coast, the CVB is monitoring the clean-up of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and relying on official updates from the on-site incident team as our source of information. The following are the most recent talking points we’ve compiled for our staff. We encourage you to pass them on to your front-line team and anyone else fielding questions about the spill.

There is no shoreline impact anywhere along the Gulf of Mexico, nor is any forecast for at least the next 72 hours. There is no official forecast beyond 72 hours.
The responders on-site at the spill have scheduled “a controlled, on-location burn to begin at approximately 11 a.m. CDT today—a strategy designed to minimize environmental risks by removing large quantities of oil.”
State-of-the-art equipment is in place to respond if there is any movement toward any area of shoreline along the Gulf Coast and local experts are monitoring wind and water conditions. Officials in Gulf Shores & Orange Beach have a coordinated response plan in place if it becomes necessary for our area.
Official information is being posted by the response team (Coast Guard, Homeland Security, NOAA, Department of the Interior, BP and Transocean) and updated several times each day. The site is https://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com.
We will continue to monitor the incident and post information IF coastal impact becomes an issue.