Governor declares state of emergency in oil spill

Florida Governor Charlie Crist issued an executive order yesterday April 30, declaring a state of emergency for Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Bay, and Gulf counties due to the threat of oil leaking from the Deepwater Horizon drilling platform and well poses to those immediate counties and the state.

The Governor cited a need to ensure that timely precautions are taken to protect natural resources, beaches, and other coastal ecosystems, communities and the general welfare of the state, as well as to initiate measures to provide assistance to other states in need.

On April 21, 2010, an explosion on the mobile drilling platform Deepwater Horizon occurred approximately 130 miles southeast of New Orleans, Louisiana. The resulting fire damaged the rig and it sank on April 22, 2010.

The rig contained 700,000 gallons of petroleum products, and it is unclear how much of the fuel was consumed by the fire. Efforts to contain the crude oil leaking from the well have not been successful.

On April 24, 2010, the United States Coast Guard estimated that the well was releasing approximately 42,000 gallons of crude per day. On April 26, 2010, the Coast Guard increased that estimation to 200, 000 gallons per day. The resulting oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico is at least 600 square miles in areal extent expanding.

The oil slick is generally moving in a northerly direction and threatening Florida’s coast. Oil continues to spill from the well as all efforts to stop the discharge have failed and may not succeed for an extended period.

Local officials and emergency management personnel are meeting daily to formulate a plan should the oil slick threaten the coastal communities of Franklin County.