Perception problem coats Southwest Florida
With media sources, it’s been said you can’t believe everything you read or hear. Consider the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Disaster for instance.
Recent news reports from a prominent New York newspaper has shown the state of Florida covered in an oil splotch. Another report from Iowa said the beaches in Florida are closed. International travelers are unsure what to believe and are wondering if they should cancel their vacations to Southwest Florida.
“We have to convince some of these media outlets that we are victims,” said Fort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce President John Albion. “We are not physical victims. We have become victims of the perception, and our businesses have certainly suffered from it.”
Albion has been following the oil spill disaster closely. He has been seeking a neutral and natural scientific explanation as to why the oil slick will reach Southwest Florida shorelines and has found one with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
According to its website, NOAA is one independent source that has released scientific data stating Southwest Florida has less than a one percent chance of getting oil slicks. Less than one percent.
“And, there is no hidden motive with NOAA,” said Albion.
Less than one percent of 860 miles of Florida shoreline would calculate to having less than 8.6 miles of beach hit by an oil slick.
In a Q & A NOAA article titled “What to expect in South Florida from the Deepwater Horizon/BP Oil Spill,” other facts stand out.
n Since South Florida is roughly 600 miles from the wellhead, oil would become ‘weathered and degraded’ during its passage through the dynamic currents of the Gulf.
n If oil were to reach South Florida, the freshest oil would have to spend at least 10 to 14 days on the water surface.
n It is unlikely that large, cohesive oil slicks would reach South Florida waters.
“I think there is a lot of reason for us to believe that it is unlikely we will be hit by oil, but we are getting hammered by the reputation of the oil spill,” said Albion. “The perception has been horrifying.”
From what the chamber president has read, there appears to be good reason why an oil slick is unlikely to come ashore on our beaches.
n The eddies are moving clockwise, therefore, it pushes the oil west and away from Southwest Florida.
n The way the state of Florida is shaped, we are set back and a shelf creates a shallowness between the ground and the surface of the water. Less oil momentum can come through because of the shelf
n The loop current is 200-250 miles away.
n Hurricane winds would normally push an oil slick away from Southwest Florida because of the storm’s usual direction of either across land (which would push it further out) or up the Yucatan Peninsula in a south to north direction (which would push it northward).
“Unless a storm would come at us from the Northwest direction, it seems to be very difficult to think that a major storm would push oil towards us,” said Albion. “I can tell you that, but if an agency can say that this is how hurricane patterns work and this is the geological parts that make it difficult, that is a scientific fact. I think that fact should raise the comfort level of people. So, if people want to travel to Florida, they may want to go to a place which the oil slick is very unlikely to hit.”
Albion would like to see one or more of the major national network television stations do a follow-up on how Florida beaches are doing. He shivers when recalling a very general opening comment on a recent telecast.
“How much do you have to spend on advertising can you possibly do to offset Brian Williams starting off the NBC Nightly News with ‘the oil has hit the white sandy beaches of Florida’,” said Albion. “If they had said it has hit the Northwest tip of Florida, at least people would have said, ‘Thank goodness, I go to Miami or Fort Myers.’ What he did is paint the whole state with that one comment.”
Albion says the tourism industry has tried web cams and different advertising techniques to combat the false notices. Social media is currently being used to get the word out that area beaches are clean and pristine.
Albion says if you compare distances between this area and where the oil has hit the beach in the Florida Panhandle, that path is farther than Boston to Washington, D.C. To put it in European terms, it’s farther than driving from Munich, Germany to Paris, France.
“Our problem is people think we are going to get hit,” he said. “People have not put this in any type of reasonable context.”
In a recent meeting with a BP executive, Albion asked about the effects on the fishing industry. He was told the oil has been breaking down and, although it is being ingested by the fish, it is not at levels where the fish’s immune system cannot handle it. And, while marine life tends to move away from poisoned water, there shouldn’t be a problem with fishing in our waters. Shrimpers have moved south to work their trade.
“So, as a result, the fish are still healthy,” said Albion. “Obviously, the fish are not sticking by the oil. And, the shrimp quantity has increased. The big issue is how people will respond to this.”
But, even with the damage done with the oil spill and the ‘false advertising’ by media personnel, a perception problem still lingers.
“The problem is going to be when they start pulling animals out of the water with oil covering them,” said Albion. “It doesn’t matter where it is. That is the image people are going to remember.”