Pensacola Beach and Perdido Key Update
Thursday, June 24 – 11:30 a.m. – Update #21
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.
* Incident Command reported 44,955 pounds of tar ball and oil material was collected on Wednesday.
West Perdido State Park- 7,500 pounds
East Pensacola Pier – 14, 070 pounds
West Pensacola Pier – 13,140 pounds
Gulf Islands National Seashore – 10,245
* The Health Department issued a health advisory on Wednesday from Walkover 23 (just west of Portofino) on Pensacola Beach, through the Gulf Islands National Seashore, including Fort Pickens, west to the entrance of Johnson Beach. Health advisory could be lifted after two consecutive clean high tides.
* Signs have been placed in the area advising beach patrons to avoid contact with the contaminated water and double red flags have been posted.
* The sound is still safe for swimming and gulf front beaches are still open for sunbathing and other activities above the mean high water line.
* Temperatures continue to be high. Winds will be shifting throughout the day at about 5 to 10 mph.
* Officials continue to monitor the tropics. The current tropical wave has a 40 percent chance of development.
* The Coast Guard report that cleanup crews are on both beaches with 500 on Pensacola Beach and Perdido Key and 300 at Fort Pickens.
* Please be sensitive to the clean up efforts on the beaches. We understand curiosity, but officials are asking the public to avoid work areas and allow room for the workers and equipment needed to clean the beaches.
* Please stay above the high tide line and away from the oil. Please do not handle or walk through the tar balls and oil. This only spreads the product and makes cleanup more difficult.
* Pensacola Pass – a line of tar balls near Big Lagoon was spotted this morning, skimmer vessels were en route. From the air this morning, a line of mousse was spotted in the bay and skimmers are already working the area.
* Perdido Pass – a line of tar balls and tar patties has been reported to Unified Command.
* Aerial information indicated better conditions than yesterday. The oil product is spotted easier from the air than from the water.
* Please avoid driving and walking through tar balls on the beaches. This spreads and further packs the tar/oil into the sand.
* 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
* Heavy equipment is being utilized on Pensacola Beach. This is a work in progress and officials are trying to determine what works best.
* Crews were out on Pensacola Beach last night and are back on scene today.
* 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.
* Lifeguards are patrolling beaches from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. for any sign of oil.
* Pensacola Beach remains open for business.
* Pensacola Beach events and activities
* Pensacola Beach live web cam
Perdido Key
* Crews were out on Perdido Key last night and back on scene today.
* The Escambia County Health Department has rescinded the current health advisory related to swimming in the Perdido Key area. More details
* 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 Dr. The phone number is 791-6905.
* The beaches and businesses on Perdido Key remain open.
* 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 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