Most Viewed Stories
- COLUMN: The both of best worlds: Foreign worker’s tragic death hits home
- COPTER CLAMOR: Residents up in arms over proposed helicopter tours near Kelly Plantation
- RON HART: Biden his time and doing Obama’s bidding
- Destin Dog Park wins Community of Excellence Award
- COLUMN: Community parenting and a party in the park
ANOTHER 'WAIT-AND-SEE' WEEKEND: City battles false reports as it rebooms East Pass with permanent pilings (PHOTOS)
Just days after the government raised the estimated amount of oil leaking into the Gulf to an astounding 20,000 to 40,000 barrels a day, weather in Destin has been “cooperative,” keeping a substantial oil impact away from area beaches and inland waterways.
“We are looking at favorable weather conditions over the weekend,” Okaloosa County Public Safety Director Dino Villani told The Log Friday. “There are not any large patches of oil heading our way. So, from that perspective we are still holding our own.”
While the weather conditions may be positive, and the beaches full, the city is still battling the fear of oil and plenty of reports of possible tar balls from beachgoers. Many of them turn out false as in the case of recent reports of possible tar balls just outside of the pass, north of Marler Bridge, and east of Crab Island.
When asked about the reports, City Manager Greg Kisela acknowledged he had heard them Friday morning, but Villani was quick to debunk the reports.
“No, absolutely not,” Villani emphatically said. “It’s not true.”
Images
- See photos taken from clear white area beaches on Saturday
- See photos taken by BP. »
- See Friday's photos from AP's coverage of the spill. »
- A former Destin resident took these photos from Venice, La.
- See the latest pictures of crews working in East Pass, click here.
- See more photos of the booms and new pilings being set at the East Pass »
- To see the latest NOAA trajectory map that puts the area in the line of uncertainty, click here.
Villani went on to say that at some point “we are going to expect tar balls and dispersant materials to wash ashore,” but as of right now, “most of the oil is still to our west.”
But with reports of a plume of oil less than 12 miles away from Perdido Pass and oil creeping in to Pensacola Pass, residents were keeping a wary eye to the west.
Villani said that reconnaissance boats have been out six to eight miles in the Gulf, and they haven’t spotted anything except some June grass.
Another incident offered a what-not-to-do scenario for beachgoers.
On Thursday afternoon behind the Aegean Condominiums on Holiday Isle, lifeguards and a crew from the Destin Fire Control District were on hand as patches of a floating brown substance was spotted about 150-yards off shore.
While the crews waited for the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s office marine patrol unit to come on scene, a beachgoer made his way out to the mysterious spot to find it was just June grass.
“I would have went out there myself to check it out,” lifeguard Dane Henderson said, “but we are not allowed to do that.”
When told of the incident, Kisela said that he highly encourages people to stay away from anything they may think to be oil, saying that “they need to report oil or tar balls immediately” so BP can send a team out to evaluate the find.
“We don’t want to do anything to encourage people to come into contact with the oil, or get in harm’s way,” he added.
In preparation of a potential impact in Destin, work crews in East Pass finished setting out the permanent pilings that are fitted with flashing lights and no wake zone markings Friday afternoon, as part of the updated action plan. They were set to begin putting the boom in place.
If needed, a giant boom will extend from the west side of the pass to just south of the Destin bridge, and then to a point on the east side of the pass.
The plan also calls for the Coast Guard to attach boom at the Destin Bridge that will be extended east and west to the shoreline. Additional secondary booming will be stretched over two channels that extend into Choctawhatchee Bay.
With the boom plan coming to a close, a beautiful outlook for the weekend, and shifting winds in the Gulf, Kisela said the city will continue to stay in “wait and see” mode moving forward.
“I think when you look at it overall, the weather and the currents have been cooperative,” Kisela said about the shifting winds pushing the oil away from Destin. “But as we saw 10 days ago, the winds can shift again and we can be in harm’s way.”
A COLLECTION OF COVERAGE
Piece of Deepwater Horizon washes ashore on PCB (PHOTOS)
'We want BP on the hook,' property appraiser says (DOCUMENT)
Boycott Big Oil? Prepare to give up toothpaste, computers, sneakers
Louisiana leaders want Gulf drilling to resume as scientific team revises spill estimate (LIVE FEED)
Locals cast wary eye westward, as crews boom East Pass (PHOTOS)
'I'VE BEEN DOING A LOT OF PRAYING': Oil worries Destin business owners (PHOTOS)
RON HART: A black stain: Did capitalism or government fail us?
LINKS BEYOND: From a former Black Crowe to CNN, media spotlight on Destin (with TWITTER REPORT)
DEP reports plume 12 miles off shore Perdido Pass (PHOTOS, FEED)
