BP Complaints

NEW ORLEANS (Sept. 24, 2010) – The following information is an operations update from the Unified Area Command for the response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Approximately 22,632 personnel are currently responding to protect the shoreline, wildlife and cleanup vital coastlines.

Currently, 1,381 vessels are responding on site, including skimmers, tugs, barges, and recovery vessels to assist in containment and cleanup efforts.

More than 32,000 water samples have been taken throughout the Gulf of Mexico in the search for residual sub-surface oil.

More than 556 tons of recyclable waste, including oily liquid & oily solid waste, has been processed.

To date, 87% of closed fisheries have been reopened.

Approximately 104 miles of Gulf Coast shoreline is currently experiencing moderate to heavy oil impacts-approximately 94 miles in Louisiana, 9 miles in Mississippi and 1 mile in Florida. Approximately 483 miles of shoreline are experiencing light to trace oil impacts-approximately 224 miles in Louisiana, 85 miles in Mississippi, 59 miles in Alabama, and 115 miles in Florida. These numbers reflect a weekly snapshot so that planning and field operations can more quickly respond to new impacts; they do not include cumulative impacts to date, or shoreline that has already been cleared.

Resources:

For information about the response effort, visit www.RestoreTheGulf.gov.

For specific information about the federal-wide response, visit http://www.whitehouse.gov/deepwater-bp-oil-spill. To contact the Deepwater Horizon Joint Information Center, call (713) 323-1670.

To submit your vessel as a vessel of opportunity skimming system, or to
submit alternative response technology, services, or products, call
281-366-5511.

To report oiled wildlife, call (866) 557-1401.

For information about validated environmental air and water sampling results, visit http://www.epa.gov/bpspill.

For National Park Service updates about potential park closures, resources at risk, and NPS actions to protect vital park space and wildlife, visit http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/oil-spill-response.htm.

For Fish and Wildlife Service updates about response along the Gulf Coast and the status of national wildlife refuges, visit http://www.fws.gov/home/dhoilspill/.

For daily updates on fishing closures, visit http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov.

For information on assistance loans for affected businesses, visit the SBA’s Web site at www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance, call (800) 659-2955 (800-877-8339 for the hearing impaired), or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov. 

For information on how to file a claim, visit the Gulf Coast Claims Facility (GCCF) Web site. In addition, www.disasterassistance.gov has been enhanced to provide a one-stop shop for information on how to file a claim and access additional assistance-available in English and Spanish.

Any members of the press who encounter response personnel restricting their access or violating the media access policy set forth by Admiral Allen should contact the Joint Information Center. At the above listed telephone numbers.

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ORANGE BEACH, Ala. – Media are invited to view Shoreline Cleanup and Assessment Technique (SCAT) teams conducting operations Saturday at Orange Beach.

Federal-On-Scene Coordinator (FOSC), U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. Paul Zukunft, will be available to answer questions.

The mission is part of the ongoing effort by the Unified Area Command to survey the shoreline affected by the Gulf oil spill and make cleanup recommendations and plans.

Media are invited to learn more about the SCAT teams and their role in the cleanup effort.

WHAT: Observation of SCAT teams conducting assessment operations for beach cleanup, followed by Q&A session with the federal on-scene coordinator.

WHO: FOSC U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. Paul Zukunft and SCAT team members

WHEN: 9:30 a.m. CDT, Saturday, Sept. 25, 2010

WHERE: Little Lagoon Cut, Orange Beach, AL

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