Deepwater Horizon county action plan update No. 20

Situation Update

•·       Navarre Beach and Santa Rosa's entire coastline is open.  Two links to live Web cams on Navarre Beach are available at www.santarosa.fl.gov/oilspill.

•·       Winds and currents continue to keep the plume away for at least the next 72 hours.

•·       According to the NOAA oil plume model, the oil spill is 55 miles southwest of Pensacola, 120 miles from Port St. Joe, and 280 miles from Clearwater.

•·       A volunteer frequently asked questions link is now available at www.santarosa,fl.gov/oilspill under Volunteer Information as "Volunteer FAQ."

•·       At this time, there are no plans to use dispersants in Florida.  If Dispersants are to be considered in state waters, the determination to use the chemicals would be evaluated by DEP with input from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Florida Wildlife Research Institute, and EPA.

•·       On May 21, staff of Santa Rosa County and Gulf Breeze toured BP's staging and response areas at NAS Pensacola and a private Industrial/Shipping site on Bayou Chico off Myrick St.

•·       Dr. Richard Snyder, director for the Center of Environmental Diagnostics and Bioremediation at the University of West Florida will attend the Board of County Commissioner Meeting on Thursday, May 27 to give a presentation and answer questions from the board on the possible impacts of the oil spill to Santa Rosa County.  The meeting will be held at the County Administrative Center, Commissioner's Board Room, 6495 Caroline Street in Milton and begins at 9 a.m.

•·       The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is working closely with its federal partners in order to ensure an aggressive dispersant monitoring plan is being implemented by BP and is posting this information to ensure the public has access to the data. Dispersants are a chemical used to break up oil into small droplets so that they are more easily degraded.  For more information visit www.santarosa.fl.gov/oilspill, under the "Other Links of Interest" heading.

•·       Deepwater Horizon emergency management situation reports and incident action plans will be released on Mondays and Thursdays only, unless impact is imminent or other issues arise that need immediate attention. The EOC will continue at a level 2 or partial activation.

•·       Santa Rosa County public information updates will be released as new information is available, at least twice a week, until further notice.

•·       Oil on Florida's coastline will most likely be in the form of tar balls, oil sheen, tar patches or mats. To learn more visit  For more information visit www.santarosa.fl.gov/oilspill, under the Fact Sheet and Q & A heading.

•·       The public is reminded that ALL suspected sightings of oil substances from the spill should be reported directly to the oil sighting hotline at 1-866-448-5816.  Do not pick the substance up. When reporting to the hotline, please be ready to provided detailed sighting information, including a description and an address or prominent landmarks.

•·       Spill responders are asking for the public's help in monitoring boom along the Gulf Coast. Boaters are requested to report sightings of broken, disconnected, or adrift boom; and encouraged to keep their distance from boom especially at night and in conditions of restricted visibility.  Report damaged, vandalized, adrift, or stolen boom to 1-866-448-5816.

•·       Santa Rosa County and the State of Florida continue to make preparations to safeguard the state's shoreline.

•·       In order to condense our updates, older information that is still valid including tips, links, training schedules and other information for business and residents, are now available at www.santarosa.fl.gov/oilspill.

BP Claims

•·       BP Claims for Deepwater Horizon can now be submitted at www.bp.com/claims.

•·       To serve the residents of Santa Rosa County, BP opened a claims office in Midway on Friday, May 14. The office is located at 5668 Gulf Breeze Parkway Unit B-9 in Gulf Breeze. Hours of operation will be 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week, until further notice.

•o        BP recommends anyone with a claim to call 1-800-440-0858 to help expedite the process. By calling the claims number, adjusters at the claims office will have the information prior to your visit.

•o        The office is located at: BP Claims Office 5668 Gulf Breeze Pkwy Unit B-9 Gulf Breeze, FL 32563

•·       Most Common Types of BP Claims in Santa Rosa County:

•o        Wage loss

•§         Shrimper: loss of income

•§         Fisherman: loss of income

•§         Charters: loss of income

•·       BP claims in Florida: 2,847/ approximately $1,724,520.44 paid

•o        Wage Loss: 1,468 claims/ $691,577.72

•o        Loss of Income:

•§         Commercial: 243 claims/ $142,633.93

•§         Business Interruption: 131 claims/ $47,900

•§         Shrimper: 89 claims/ $210,000

•§         Fisherman: 308 claims/ $284,328.79

•§         Oyster Harvester: 2 claims/ $2,500

•§         Crabber: 5 claims/ $5,000

•§         Recreational Fisherman: 3 claims/ $5,000

•§         Rental Property: 322 claims/ $22,280.00

•§         Charters:189 claims/ $306,620

•§         Maintenance Company: 5 claims/ $1,680

•§         Seafood Processor: 6 claims/ $5,000

Fishing

•·       The fisheries, wildlife and seafood off of Florida's coast in state waters are safe and there are no alerts at this time.

•·       On May 18, NOAA modified and expanded the boundaries of the closed fishing area in the Gulf of Mexico into the northern portion of the loop current as a precautionary measure to ensure that seafood from the Gulf will remain safe for consumers. The closure affects commercial and recreational fishing in the oil-affected area in the Gulf of Mexico.  Learn more at http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/bulletins/pdfs/2010/FB10-040_BP_Oil_Spill_Closure_051810.pdf.

•·       The recreational red snapper season in the Gulf will remain closed until June 1. For more information on red snapper management rules and research efforts, go to MyFWC.com/Rules; click on "Fishing - Saltwater."

•·       The FWC reminds Floridians and visitors that the state's recreational and commercial fisheries have not been impacted by the oil spill and remain open for public enjoyment and commerce. Florida saltwater fishing regulations remain in effect as usual and are available online at MyFWC.com/Fishing.

•·         Modeling and mapping the actual and projected spill area is not an exact science. NOAA Fisheries Service strongly advises fishermen not to fish in areas where oil or oil sheens (very thin layers of floating oil) are present, even if those areas are not currently closed to fishing.

•·         Details can be found at:  http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/   

Small Business Disaster Loans Available

•·       Governor Crist announced Friday that the U.S. Small Business Administration has approved disaster loan funds for businesses along Florida's Gulf coast that have been impacted by the Deepwater Horizon incident.

•o        SBA representatives opened a disaster loan office on Tuesday, May 18 at the Navarre Visitor Information Center located at 8543 Navarre Parkway (U.S. Hwy 98) in Navarre. Hours of operations will be 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday- Saturday until further notice.

•o        More information can be found at: www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance/SERV_DISASTERASSISTANCEGOV.html

Vessels of Opportunity (boats) program

•·       BP is looking to contract shrimp boats, oyster boats and other vessels for hire through the Vessel of Opportunities Program to deploy boom in the Gulf of Mexico. For more information 907-301-8878.

•·       128 of 1,104 contracts have been activated for the Vessels of Opportunity program in Florida.

•·       Submit your vessel as a vessel of opportunity skimming system: (281) 366-5511

Important Phone Numbers

•·       Florida Oil Spill Information Line- 1-888- 337-3569

•·       Fraud Hotline- 1-866-966-7226.

•·       Submit Alternative Response Technology Services & Products- email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 1-281-366-5511

•·       Report Oiled Wildlife- 1-866-557-1401

•·       Report Oil Sightings- 1-866-448-5816

•·       BP Toll-Free Claims line- 1800-440-0858

•·       Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner gas price-gauging hotline: 1-800-HELP-FLA (1-800-435-7352).

General Safety Information

• www.santarosa.fl.gov
• Citizens can signup to automatically receive breaking news alerts from Santa Rosa County Emergency Management via e-mail or as a text message on their cell phone at:  www.santarosa.fl.gov/emergency/publicwarning.html.
• The Santa Rosa County Citizen Information Line at (850) 983-INFO or 4636 is open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. daily.