Pensacola Beach and Perdido Key Update
Tuesday, June 29 – 10:00 a.m. – Update #26
* Weather- Temperatures are expected to be near 88 degrees with winds from the southeast. Chance of rain is 70 percent. Thundershowers are impacting 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- The project path of Tropical Storm Alex is not expected to directly impact Escambia County. The storm is headed toward Texas. Higher tides and heavier surf conditions may be experienced as result of the storm. Booms remain deployed and may need to be repositioned if conditions warrant.
* Perdido and Pensacola Passes- Pensacola Pass is reported clear this morning. In Perdido Pass a patch of reddish-brown mousse approximately 15 feet by 20 feet was seen and reported to unified command.
* Incident Command reported 91,610 pounds of tar ball and oil material was collected by 568 people on Monday.
o Perdido Key State Park – 8,160 pounds collected by 53 people
o Perdido Key State Park Public Access #2 – 6,800 pounds collected by 53 people
o East Pensacola Pier – 7,800 pounds collected by 150 people
o West Pensacola Pier – 8,850 pounds collected by 150 people
o West Pensacola Pier #2 – 60,000 pounds collected by 162 people
* Incident Command reported 20 skimmers in the inland waterways in Escambia County.
* The Escambia County Health Department has issued a health advisory from the Pensacola Beach Fishing Pier west to the Pensacola Pass, including Fort Pickens. This is not a ban. If you choose to swim, do so at your own risk. This advisory was issued du to the extensive oil sheen, oil mousse and tar balls reported in the area. (More Information)
* The Escambia County Health Department has release information on avoiding oil and tar on the beaches. (More Information).
* NOAA expands fishing closed area in the Gulf of Mexico. (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
* Pensacola Beach is seeing a higher coverage of tar balls and tar patties today.
* 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
* Perdido Key had tar balls and tar patties can be seen covering three to 10 percent of the beaches.
* 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