Broward County Responds To Oil Spill

Broward County Mayor Ken Keechl, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson and U.S. Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Ted Deutch held a public briefing Monday morning with County officials and scientists to get an update about the response to the oil spill.

Mayor Ken Keechl, created a group of county officials who are regularly meeting to prepare for and potentially respond to the oil spill in Broward.

The key question on politicians' minds: Will the spill reach South Florida shores?

The answer: It's anyone's guess.

Authorities and forecasters says the spill is still days away or may never get here. It all depends on the winds and Gulf currents.

``At this point we don't have a defined threat,'' U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Jim Fitton said.

While South Florida is bracing for the potential of oil reaching our shores -- which would be a major blow to tourism -- officials hope the oil spill is stopped before it hits Florida.

``Let's hope they can cut it off,'' Nelson said at the briefing, held at the Broward Emergency Operations Center in Plantation.

The massive oil spill erupted after the April 20 explosion on the drilling rig Deepwater Horizon, killing 11 people. BP owns the leaking well in the northern Gulf of Mexico.

Monday, the spill was about 80 miles from the ``loop current,'' which gets its name from the fact that it loops around the eastern Gulf toward the Keys. The current then travels up South Florida's east coast.

If the oil enters the loop current, it could take about 10 days to hit the Keys and even longer to reach Miami-Dade and Broward, said Igor Kamenkovich, a professor at the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science.

`UNPREDICTABLE'

``It's highly unpredictable,'' said Kamenkovich. Any major changes in wind or weather patterns such as a cold front or a hurricane could change the forecast, he said.

Broward Emergency Management Director Chuck Lanza said he had been told by state emergency management officials that it could take 20 to 30 days to reach Florida.

Port Everglades has identified sites to set up booms if the oil reaches Broward.

Richard Dodge, professor and dean at Nova Southeastern University's Oceanographic Center, called for using dispersants to protect coral reefs even though that could hurt fish. Florida has about 84 percent of the nation's reefs.

``It's a trade-off,'' he said.

Broward's tourism director Nicki Grossman said hotels are fielding hundreds of calls a day, but so far only some dive groups have canceled reservations. But if perception becomes reality and oil reaches Broward's shores, it could translate into a loss of $10 million a day for hotel, boating and fishing businesses in the county.

``About one-third of the business we do every day we would lose because the beaches would be unavailable for recreational purposes,'' Grossman said in an interview.

The $10 million figure would probably rise if losses to restaurants and shops are factored in.

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/05/11/1622992/will-spill-hit-us-odds-are-murky.html#ixzz0niu6XhHw