Pensacola Beach and Perdido Key Update
Wednesday, July 7 – 10:00 a.m. – Update #31
If you see tar or oiled debris on the beach. DO NOT PICK IT UP.
Report it to 1-877-389-8932 (new number) or #DEP from a cell phone.
DO NOT TOUCH OILED OR INJURED WILDLIFE. Report it to 1-866-557-1401.
Everyone is advised to avoid contact with tar balls or oiled debris on the beaches.
(More Information)
* Weather – Temperatures are expected to be near 88 degrees with east southeast winds. Chance of rain is 30 percent. Thundershowers may impact cleanup efforts both on the beaches and in the water. For safety reasons, if lightning is in the area, crews will be unable to continue working.
* Tropical Update – Public Safety officials are watching and monitoring the low pressure system in the gulf.
* Perdido and Pensacola Passes – Both passes were reported clear this morning.
* Aerial recon this morning reported no oil off the shoreline, in the passes or bays.
* Incident Command has 1,480 people ready for beach cleanup, weather permitting.
* Beginning today, county staff will be participating in the operations and planning sections of the new Escambia/Santa Rosa Branch at Bayou Chico. This is part of the command structure for Unified Command.
* The Escambia County Health Department has posted an Oil Impact Notice for the Gulf beach waters in Escambia County, Florida. This notice will remain in place until Escambia County Gulf beaches are no longer impacted by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. This notice includes the beaches under the control of the Gulf Islands National Seashore, the University of West Florida and Perdido Key Sate Park. ( More Information)
* The Escambia County Health Department has release information on avoiding oil and tar on the beaches. (More Information).
* Please do not handle or walk through the tar balls and oil. This only spreads the product and makes cleanup more difficult.
* Cleaning stations have been placed next to the crossovers (between the crossovers and the roadways) to aid in the removal of tar and oil.
* County officials are currently working with Unified Command to establish recreational and commercial decontamination stations for vessels (boats and watercraft).
* “Hot shot†teams will respond to specific requests during the day as needed.
* Oil reports vary widely throughout the day as heat from the sun brings subsurface oil to the top, and cooler temperatures at night tend to cause it to sink below the surface.
* A fishing closure is in effect from the state line east to the Pensacola Beach water tower, extending nine nautical miles into the gulf. Catch and release recreational fishing is still allowed.
Pensacola Beach
* Sporadic tar balls and a surface oil residue can be seen covering about one percent of the beach with an average width of 20 to 50 feet.
* Cleanup crews were on the beach last night and crews working today as weather permits.
* Heavy equipment is being utilized on Pensacola Beach. Work will continue as weather permits.
* Harvesting of fish is allowed east of the Pensacola Beach water tower.
* Escambia County has opened field offices on Pensacola Beach to assist in answering questions from the public and act as staging areas for the county monitoring teams. The Pensacola Beach field office will be located at 5 Via Deluna, Suite 8. The phone number is 934-6500.
* Pensacola Beach remains open for business.
* Pensacola Beach events and activities
* Pensacola Beach live web cam
Perdido Key
* Sporadic tar balls, patties, mousse and staining can be seen covering about 10 percent of the beach with an average width of 20 to 25 feet.
* Cleanup crews were on the beach last night and crews working today as weather permits.
* Escambia County has opened field offices on Perdido Key to assist in answering questions from the public and act as staging areas for the county monitoring teams. The Perdido Key field office will be located at 13578 Perdido Key Drive. The phone number is 791-6905.
* Perdido Key remains open for business.
* Perdido Key events and activities at www.visitperdidokey.com
* Perdido Key live web cam at www.visitperdidokey.com
Pensacola
* Events and activities for Pensacola, Pensacola Beach and Perdido Key are listed at www.visitpensacola.com.
Important Phone Numbers
* Report oiled shoreline to 1-877-389-8932 or #DEP from a cell phone.
* Report oiled wildlife to 1-866-557-1401.
* Citizen Information Line: 850-471-6600