Florida Deepwater Horizon Response for July 29
Under the leadership of Governor Charlie Crist, the State Emergency Response Team and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection are actively coordinating and responding to the Deepwater Horizon incident.
Message of the day: GATOR
Florida residents and visitors can track the state’s response efforts to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill by utilizing the Florida Division of Emergency Management’s GATOR tracking device. GATOR, which stands for Geospatial Assessment Tool for Operations and Response, tracks reports of oil impacts on Florida’s shoreline, reconnaissance and cleanup missions, weather radar and tropical system updates using geographic data that is updated in real time. The interactive web mapping tool helps to support emergency preparedness, operations and response in Florida. Click here to start using GATOR. Learn more.
Current Situation
The State Emergency Operations Center is activated at Level 1 or full activation.
The State continues to focus on mitigating impacts to Florida’s shoreline.
Currently Deepwater Horizon is not discharging any oil into the Gulf of Mexico.
All supplemental Tier 3 boom is being removed in the Northwest Florida counties.
State reconnaissance teams operating by air, land and sea continue to identify potential impacts and are actively coordinating with cleanup teams. View the latest reconnaissance reports.
Four Florida branch offices are fully operational in Northwest Florida. These branch offices bring together federal, state and local agencies to streamline response efforts.
Although sporadic sightings of tar balls may continue, Florida’s shoreline is not expected to receive additional impacts over the next 72 hours.
No tropical activity is expected in the next 48 hours.
Oil Impact Notices are posted for all Escambia County and Walton County Gulf beaches, as well as designated beaches in Okaloosa County. Signs may remain in place until local authorities determine that beaches are no longer impacted by the oil spill. Learn more.
A portion of coastal state waters offshore of Escambia County is closed to the harvest of saltwater fish, crabs and shrimp. Learn more.
Learn More About Florida’s Response:
Visit www.deepwaterhorizonflorida.com to learn more about Florida’s response to the Deepwater Horizon incident, sign up for daily updates, view tips for businesses and consumers, find a listing of Unified Command, BP and Florida phone numbers, and more.
The Oil Spill Information Line is available at 1-888-337-3569 from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. seven days a week. Persons with disabilities can contact 1-800-955-8771 (TDD) or 1-800-955-8770 (voice).