Disasters: Hazards and Threats: Oil Spill | Alabama Cooperative Extension System

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Oil Spill Gulf of Mexico 2010

Transition From Response to Long-term Recovery

September 14 -- While the Deepwater Horizon oil well has been capped and plugged, booms are being removed and cleanup efforts are winding down, residents in the coastal communities will continue to feel for a long time the effects of a summer during which they lost businesses and income.

Help for affected citizens

Friends Helping Alabama: Help Feed Our Bay Area Friends is an Extension effort to help the Bay Area Food Bank feed families affected by the oil spill. Follow the link to learn how you can contribute.

RestoreTheGulf.gov is the official federal portal for the oil spill response and recovery.

Baldwin County citizens affected by the oil spill are invited to participate in free seminars. The workshops focus on oil spill training for homeowners, financial and stress management, and unemployment.

Mobile County offers links to relevant resources on Alabama and Mississippi coastal access laws, family financial and stress management, and seafood safety.

Fishing and swimming in the Gulf

Review up-to-date information on fishing closures. Alabama State Health Officer, Dr. Donald E. Williamson notes in his online message that the department is replacing red swimming advisory signs with yellow signs that outline several precautions for beachgoers in Baldwin and Mobile counties.

Where is the oil?

A federal science report released August 4 estimates that a third of the oil released was captured or mitigated by recovery operations. The remainder has evaporated or dissolved (25 percent), dispersed naturally (16 percent), or remains as residue and weathered tarballs (26 percent).

Resources

Four Gulf of Mexico Sea Grant programs are host to an oil spill website providing links to a variety of resources.

EDEN has posted information about Extension regional efforts and activities.

The Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) is the lead agency for the state's response to the oil spill under the Unified Command. ADEM is coordinating efforts for a wide range of sate agencies involved in the response.

News and Data

AL.com (Alabama news sources)
Alabama State News Releases (State of Alabama)
Auburn University Media Resources
Federal Trade Commission Consumer Alert
LSU Earth Scan Laboratory (satellite data receiving station)
National Estuarine Research Reserve System (real time monitoring data—choose Weeks Bay)
National Sea Grant Library: Coastal Hazards: Spills & Shipping

Employment

Alabama JobLink Includes information on temporary oil cleanup jobs. Applicants are not needed for oil spill cleanup jobs in Mobile County.
Federal Trade Commission warns of oil spill job scams.

State Information

Alabama Department of Environmental Management (spill information)
Mobile Bay National Estuary Program (pre-contamination mitigation activities for volunteers)
Dauphin Island Sea Lab

Curricula and Frequently Asked Questions

Effects of oil spills on environment and marine life (free curriculum for students grades three to five)
Water Information System (Frequently Asked Questions)

Other

Internal Revenue Service has a dedicated phone line for oil spill victims. The toll-free number (866-562-5227) is open weekdays from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. local time. The IRS also provides Gulf Oil Spill: Questions and Answers for further information.
LSU Resources
MSU Extension
National Spill Control School (Texas A&M University Corpus Christi)
UF/IFAS Extension
Prince William Sound Regional Citizens' Advisory Council (resources developed following the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill). Peer Listener resources may be especially valuable.
US Department of Labor (worker safety information)