Perdido Post

Perdido Key Organizations Join Forces

Community organizations joined forces this week to publish the Coastal Update newsletter to inform Perdido Key citizens and property owners of the latest oil spill news & impact to our community.  Perdido Bay United Methodist Church, Perdido Key Association, Perdido Key Chamber of Commerce, and Perdido Key Presidents’ Forum will issue the joint publication on a weekly basis, which I will then post to my blog for my readers.

Thus far, we have been fortunate and winds have kept the oil spill offshore.   Perdido Key visitors are enjoying mild, sunny weather and blue-green Gulf waters.  It is truly a perfect beach day today!

GIANT DOME TO CAPTURE OIL

Gulf Coast residents and property owners are hopeful that a giant dome created by BP engineers will contain the oil which is currently pumping into the Gulf. Positive changes with offshore winds should also help to keep the oil off the shorelines.

BP engineers have begun constructing a giant dome that could be deployed to contain the spill in "six to eight days", the company's head of US operations said. The estimate is a much shorter time frame than the original two to four weeks.

It could be a major breakthrough in attempts to prevent the huge oil slick from wreaking enormous environmental and economic damage on the coast of Louisiana and other southern US states. US Coast Guard officials said the dome would be placed over the leak and instead of the oil leaking into the water column it would leak into this dome structure.

"The dome would capture or gather the oil and allow it to be pumped out of that dome structure," coast guard spokesman Prentice Danner said.

"If you could picture a half dome on top of the leak and the oil collects inside of this dome and is pumped out from there, that is the idea behind it."

Oil was originally forecast to hit the Alabama and Florida coast today, but wind and current shifts have pushed that forecast to later in the week. There are so many "What If's?" right now....weather, oil containment and dispersement. We continue to be hopeful that all these components will work together to form a positive result and that the oil will stay away from the shores.

Perdido Key Oil Spill Impact

I spent the past few hours cleaning up debris on Perdido Key beaches as part of a local volunteer effort called "Operation Clean Sweep".  Our goal is to remove as much debris as possible from Escambia County beaches before the oil spill reaches the shores to prevent additional contamination.  My efforts were concentrated on the beaches in front of La Belle Maison, The Marseilles, Capri, Molokai Villas, SeaWatch and Riviera Dunes.  Joining me were fellow ResortQuest agents (and great friends) Michelle Fulford and Kerri Hutchinson.  Hundreds of volunteers combed the coastline today in efforts to prepare our beloved beaches for what is being predicted the worst oil spill is U.S. history and a disaster of national significance. 

There is a tremendous amount of information flowing about the oil spill.

BEST INFORMATIONAL WEBSITES RELATED TO OIL SPILL:

www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com

http://www.co.escambia.fl.us

http://www.escambiadisasterresponse.com

http://www.emeraldcoastkeeper.org

The EPA just put up a "damage control" webpage for those living in the affected areas:  http://www.epa.gov/bpspill/

OIL SPILL CONTACT NUMBERS ISSUED BY BP:

To report oiled wildlife:  Call (866) 557-1401 and leave a message. Messages will be checked hourly.

To report oil onshore or to volunteer:   Call (866) 448-5816 or e-mail:  deepwaterhorizonresponse@hotmail.com.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Many volunteers will be needed over the upcoming months.  The Perdido Key Chamber of Commerce is spear-heading many local volunteer efforts. If you have any questions, call the chamber office at 492-4660.

To volunteer to handle petroleum-contaminated materials:

Registration is required for a four-hour health and safety training class. BRACE, United Way and First Call for Help are organizing volunteers for cleanups if the oil reaches shore. Call 595-5905 to register to volunteer.

To volunteer to help oiled wildlife:

Wildlife Sanctuary of Northwest Florida is seeking donations and volunteers as it prepares for the arrival of affected birds and other animals. Learn more at PensacolaWildlife.com.

Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research is accepting volunteer signups by phone, mail or e-mail as the group prepares to rehabilitate affected animals. Call (302) 737-9543 for more information.

The oil is expected to make landfall in the Perdido Key area as early as tomorrow, Monday, May 2nd.  The oil is extremely hazardous and should not be breathed or touched.  Do not attempt to pick up any contaminated matter and do not attempt to rescue any oiled wildlife, but instead call the wildlife hotline number above.

Please continue to pray that the leaks are stopped and oil will be captured before it hits land.  Also please continue to pray for all those people and animals whose lives and livelihoods will be impacted by this tragedy.

More information to come...

Blessings to you,

Kathy Justice, ResortQuest Real Estate, Broker-Associate