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April 30, 2010
Oil spill could be devastating
GULFPORT — The effects felt on the Gulf Coast from the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe will be devastating, said Dr. Moby Solangi, president of the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies in Gulfport.
“People don’t understand the magnitude of this. It is hard to comprehend,” said Solangi, who wrote his PhD dissertation in 1980 on the effects of crude oil on the environment.
Solangi said IMMS crews are working with the state Fisheries Service and the state Department of Marine Resources preparing to rescue stranded marine mammals and sea turtles.
IMMS has posted a hotline number on its website, www.imms.org, for the public to report stranded bottlenose dolphins. The Gulf of Mexico is home to the world’s largest population of bottlenose dolphin.
The Gulfport Fire Department is working with IMMS to assist in the rescue efforts. Deputy Fire Chief Billy Bragg said the GFD also is working with state and federal agencies as South Mississippi prepares.
As oil from the Deepwater Horizon rig, which sank more than a week ago, began showing up near the mouth of the Mississippi River on Thursday, emergency workers began positioning protective booms along the shoreline and near the barrier islands, 12 miles offshore, in an effort to keep oil from sliming the Coast.
Forecasters from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration expect the spill to be 10 to 20 miles south of the barrier islands by 6 p.m. tomorrow.
“We are in constant contact with county, state and federal officials as we monitor this situation,” said Dr. John Kelly, chief administrative officer for the City of Gulfport. “We are obviously very concerned about the potential effects this oil spill will have on our environment, our tourism industry, our seafood industry and our way of life in general.”
Kelly said the city is expected to issue a State of Emergency declaration by the close of business today.
Solangi said the lasting effects of the Deepwater Horizon accident could be far different than the aftermath of Alaska’s 1989 Exxon Valdez spill in the Prince William Sound.
“Here the area is bottlenecked and the oil will be pushed in, but the Prince William Sound was very deep and there is a lot of flushing and currents and turnover,” Solangi said. “Here the oil will go into the marsh and bayous and stay there, and unlike the bottom of the Prince William Sound, the clay and muddy bottoms we have here will absorb the oil.”
A report from Bloomberg news service this morning said oil is escaping from the well at a rate of about 5,000 barrels a day, five times faster than previously estimated, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. At that rate, the volume of the leak would exceed the Exxon Valdez accident by the third week of June.
Environmentalists said if enough oil in the Gulf reaches the already fragile islands it would kill the marsh grass, turning the areas into massive mudflats, which would eventually be washed away.
This morning NOAA reported that because of its severity, size and potential impact on the public health and the environment, the situation is so complex that it will require extraordinary coordination of federal, state and local resources to contain and clean up the discharge.
Stranding hotline
To report stranded marine mammals or sea turtles, call the Stranding Hotline at 1-888-806-1674.
Callers should be prepared to leave their name, contact information, and location and general size of the species.
Stranded dolphin and others
To report stranded marine mammals or sea turtles in South Mississippi, call IMMS at 1-888-767-3657. Or click here.
NOAA updates on oil spill
To view NOAA downloads, maps, updates and forecast, click here.
Path forecast
To see NOAA’s oil slick forecast map, click here.
Office of Public Information - rlafontaine@gulfport-ms.gov - Phone: 228-868-5782
P.O. Box 1780 Gulfport, MS 39502-1780 - FAX: 868-5800
