Concerned about your Gulf Coast vacation plans? It’s understandable, considering the oil spill is affecting so much of the area’s beaches and ocean. But don’t cancel that reservation just yet. There are hundreds of miles of beaches, some of which haven’t been affected—yet. I spent a wonderful weekend with my family in Gulf Shores, Alabama, this Father’s Day. The streets were less crowded than usual, as were restaurants and shops. Everywhere we went, we were greeted by grateful business owners and locals. Our waitress at Lulu’s (the restaurant owned by Jimmy Buffett’s sister) asked where we were from and thanked us for not changing our vacation plans. The owners of The Oar House restaurant in Foley even opened their doors to us when we, not realizing they were about to close for the day, arrived for a late lunch.
OVER THE GULF OF MEXICO — Brown patches of oil floated hundreds of yards from coastlines, stretching from Mississippi to the Florida-Alabama border, a U.S. Coast Guard flyover showed Friday.
“It’s probably a little bit more today than I’d seen in the past,” said Lt. Cmndr. John Pack, who piloted the HC-144A propeller plane.
Associated Press – The Internal Revenue Service wants its cut from oil spill victims who receive BP payments for lost wages. The agency says that under current law, BP payments for lost wages are taxable – just like the lost wages would have been. The IRS says payments for physical injuries or property loss are generally tax free.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – A senior Obama administration official tells The Associated Press that Vice President Joe Biden will travel to the Gulf Coast on Tuesday to review the efforts to combat the massive oil spill.
Biden is expected to visit the National Incident Command Center in New Orleans and the Florida Panhandle. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the trip had not yet been announced.
MOBILE, AL – The Alabama Department of Transportation is suspending its Mobile Bay ferry service, between Dauphin Island and Ft. Morgan, after the 11:45 a.m. departure from Ft. Morgan because of the presence of oil in that area of Mobile Bay.
There is no indication at this time exactly when ferry service will resume, but officials will monitor tide and oil conditions to resume service as soon as conditions allow.
I spent the week touring the Florida Panhandle talking to people about oil and the fear of oil, both of which are scaring away tourists faster than Ralph Nader in a Speedo. And I have concluded this: There are a lot of Waffle Houses down there.
Seriously. Seems like every few miles you see a yellow sign poking into the sky, inviting you to pull over and indulge in a dose of 24-hour cheer and bacon. Like Roy McAvoy in “Tin Cup,” I’m a Waffle House fan, which might explain why I was seized with the idea of how they could help that other WH (meaning the White House) take on the myriad problems facing our nation.
Aerial Flight Data Report: Morning: Orange Beach was hit with oil this morning. Heaviest areas are near Perdido Pass in Orange Beach. Lighter Brown Streaks are on the East side of Perdido Pass washing onshore. Darker streaks, somewhat submerged plumes, and Tar Balls are on the West side of Perdido Pass about half mile south of Perdido Beach Resort. Between Ft. Morgan and Orange Beach there are “Pancake” like Tar Balls sporadic. Some range in size of small houses to small cars.
Afternoon: All of Baldwin County beaches are being impacted!! Between Mobile Bay to Alabama/Florida State Line are sporadic “Pancake” like Tar Balls. Large Area of Brown Streaking south or onshore of ALL beaches in Baldwin County. There are large areas of Dark Oil “Plumes” that can range in size of 20-40 acres. These “Plumes” leave a streak that can range in length of 3-5 miles. Main area of concern with the above statement is about 5-10 miles south of Perdido Pass. North of Perdido Pass Bridge are areas of Light Sheen mixed with Heavy Metallic Sheen, mainly in Terry Cove and Bayou St. John.
American Idol Season 5 winner Taylor Hicks has a special interest in the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
“The Gulf Coast area is where I’m from. My grandmother lives in Gulf Shores (Ala.). I would play in the Gulf Coast year-round. I know what a disaster this is,” he tells USA TODAY’s Lorena Blas.
The beaches of Gulf Shores to Fort Morgan received significant oil impacts today, in the water and at the shoreline. Double Red flags are flying; indicating the waters are CLOSED for swimming within the corporate limits of the City of Gulf Shores. City officials and staff are working with BP and its contractors to clean the beaches as quickly as possible and oil skimming vessels are working offshore under the direction of the US Coast Guard. The public is reminded, please DO NOT TO TOUCH OIL IN ANY FORM and to leave it for clean-up crews. If you happen to come in contact, clean the affected area with soap and water or use baby oil to remove the residue. To report oil impacts to wildlife, contact 1-866-557-1401.
(ORANGE BEACH, Ala.) Permanent boom in Perdido Pass is in place.
Engineers who worked on the project say the boom is pooling oil as it was designed to do. Skimmers are in place to remove the gathered oil. In addition to boom, absorbent sweep material will be attached to catch the oil.
Officials say the booming project is a joint effort between BP, the Army Corps of Engineers and the city of Orange Beach.
PENSACOLA, Fla. (WALA) – A Pensacola man has taken it upon himself to show the world what's really going on in Florida. He's had thousands of hits on his YouTube links.
GULF SHORES, Alabama – BP promised to pay for the funeral of charter boat captain Alan Kruse from Orange Beach, who committed suicide Tuesday. Alan Kruse shot and killed himself June 22, supposedly distraught over the ongoing coastal crisis. Kruse was known as “Rookie” to his friends, and took his own life aboard his boat at the Gulf Shores Marina in Fort Morgan. He was fifty-five years old. He left behind a wife and kids. He was known as a man who would give you the shirt off his back and had a wicked sense of humor.
GULF SHORES, Alabama – It's common for Hollywood celebrities to donate their money and time during a crisis. So 22-year old actor Matt Smith was surprised when hardly anyone on the West Coast immediately responded to the oil disaster in the Gulf. Matt Smith has been seen on the Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, and has a new series on HBO. He took a year off acting in 2009 and lived on the Gulf coast. Smith fell in love with the place, and it was his dream to live there someday.
MOBILE, Alabama – BP promised to hire local people to help with the oil spill clean-up but the company failed to keep its promise when some boaters from Texas showed up ready to get to work.
If you're thinking about visiting Orange Beach, we have a list of Daytrip Ideas for you. This list of ideas is great for places to go on daytrips from the Orange Beach area.
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