Robin's Blog for Dauphin Island

Public Information Sheet

May 16, 2010 – Mobile, AL JIC

Priority: provide fact-based information

Key Messages:

Area contingency plan plus additional efforts:

o As we are responding, we are listening to needs and giving attention to areas beyond the response plan alone. Our goal is to simultaneously fight the incident offshore and on - with dispersants and skimming and in-situ burning, and with a boom. This is consistent with environmental contingency plans previously approved by and developed in conjunction with local, state and federal agencies.

BP is committed to:

o cleaning up the spill

o honoring every legitimate claim

o working to minimize impacts to the environment and local communities

We take every wildlife report seriously and immediately dispatch a team to investigate the report. There are five Wildlife Rehabilitation Centers and they are located in Gulfport, Theodore, Pensacola, Ft. Walton and Panama City. Only trained wildlife specialists should touch oiled animals; please call 866-577-1401 to report animals.

Status Update:

o Wildlife - As of the morning of May 16, 2010, for Mobile Sector, there is one confirmed bird casualty, one bird being rehabilitated, and one rehabilitated bird that was released yesterday.

o Shoreline assessment teams (SCAT) have responded to Cat Island, Gautier and Long Beach areas in MS; Fort Morgan Point, AL and locations in FL. The tar balls that washed ashore on Dauphin Island, AL Saturday are believed to be from the Deepwater Horizon spill; Louisiana State University’s chemical assessment team released, “Comparison of the major biomarker indices indicate the Mississippi Canyon 252 riser oil.”

o NOAA Expanded Commercial and Recreational Fishing Closure in Oil-Affected Portion of Gulf of Mexico – more than 90 percent of the fishing area remains open.

o Boom Numbers as of May 16,2010:

o More than 200,000 feet deployed in Florida

o More than 320,000 feet deployed in Alabama

o More than 330,000 feet deployed in Mississippi

o Surface skimming and dispersant flights continue - more than 1,400 vessels are staged and ready to work including skimmers, tugs, and barges.

o There are reports of broken, loose and open boom – please direct the public to 1-866-448-5816.

By the Numbers:

o More than 8,000 response personnel are actively involved in protecting the shoreline and conducting other activities

o 11,700 volunteers from MS, AL and FL have come forward; more than 2,500 participated in training.

o In the Mobile Sector as of May 16, some 7,300 participants are signed-up through more than fifteen training sessions and there are more than 2,200 contracts for the Vessels of Opportunity Program.

o A new claims center opened its doors in Foley, AL and four centers will be opening in Florida throughout the week, some claims are being paid in 48 hours, more than 7,000 claims have been paid, to date none have been denied, and for general claims information call 1-800-440-0858.

o Staging across the response area – Grand Isle, Venice, Shell Beach, Slidell, Cocodrie, LA; Pass Christian, Biloxi and Pascagoula, MS; Panama City and Pensacola, FL; Theodore, Amelia, Orange Beach and Dauphin Island, AL—have been set up to protect sensitive shorelines.

Mobile Command Center Briefing and other activities:

o Doug Suttles, BP Chief Operating Officer will be in the Mobile area today.