FAIRHOPE, Ala. — With a northerly wind expected to keep the worst of a massive oil slick away from the Alabama coast until at least Friday, there is reason to smile. But officials are quick to caution that the wind shift is merely offering a reprieve.

British Petroleum’s Deepwater Horizon platform exploded April 20 and sank two days later. There were 126 people on the rig when the incident occurred. Eleven remain unaccounted for and 17 were injured, with three of them critically.

The well left behind continues to spew 210,000 gallons of light sweet crude into the Gulf of Mexico through a broken pipe each day, despite numerous efforts to remotely close a blowout valve on the sea floor some 5,000 feet below the surface. What short- and long-term impact the accident will ultimately have here in southwest Alabama is not yet known.

The extra time before Baldwin County is affected gave locals a chance Monday and Tuesday to help clean debris from beaches ahead of the expected oil slick. Work crews were also out, securing oil containment booms in the sometimes rough water.

The Unified Command (UC) in Mobile reported that 650 feet of booms were deployed at the mouth of Weeks Bay, along with 36,000 feet in Orange Beach and Gulf Shores, and another 80,000 feet staged and in progress on Pleasure Island.

A total of more than 60,000 feet of boom material has been placed along the coastal waterways in Alabama, Mississippi and the Florida panhandle to date. Some booms have broken loose and washed ashore though due to rough seas.

Based on current oil slick trajectories, other priority areas set to receive booms include Bon Secour and coastal areas from Daphne to Point Clear. UC officials say additional booms will be deployed in marsh areas and river entrances.

President’s visit

Speaking in Venice, La. on Sunday, President Barack Obama said he met with U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Thad Allen, who is serving as the National Incident Commander, along with Coast Guard personnel and BP company executives so he could be updated on the progress being made to not only cap the well, but also try to slow the oil slick’s growth.

“I think the American people are now aware, certainly the folks down in the Gulf are aware, that we’re dealing with a massive and potentially unprecedented environmental disaster,” Obama said. “The oil is still leaking from the well and could seriously damage the economy and the environment of our Gulf states, and it could extend for a long time. It could jeopardize the livelihoods of thousands of Americans who call this place home.”

He referred to the federal response so far as “an all-hands-on-deck, relentless response to this crisis,” and stressed that government officials “prepared and planned for the worst, even as (they) hoped for the best.”

BP comments

BP began drilling a relief well around 3 p.m. Sunday, according to Doug Suttles. The oil company chief operating officer for exploration answered questions Monday afternoon during a press conference held in Robert, La. The 18,000-foot adjacent well could take 90 days to complete, but if successful would relieve pressure off the main well and enable workers to plug it with cement.

Suttles said recent over-flights made by BP and officials from Minerals Management Service (MMS) indicate that the 3,000 gallons of chemical dispersants pumped into the Gulf above three breaks in the well pipe seem to be having a positive effect.

The substance is designed to mix with the oil and hold it on the sea floor until organisms there can break it down. That operation was shelved due to bad weather, but began again Tuesday.

Another tool being deployed to the well site is a 65-ton containment chamber that Suttles said will be placed over the leaking pipe so the oil can be collected and pumped to ships waiting on the surface. It is expected to arrive this afternoon, should be operational within 72 hours and begin collecting oil at the source within six days.

More than 3,000 personnel are currently involved in the response effort both onshore and offshore, and additional resources are being deployed, according to the Mobile-based UC. Nearly 200 vessels are responding on site, including skimmers, tugs, barges and recovery vessels to assist in containment and cleanup efforts — in addition to dozens of aircraft, remotely operated vehicles and multiple mobile offshore drilling units.

Obama vowed the federal government will continue to act aggressively, and said BP has assured him they will cover all legitimate losses. He added he will not be satisfied until “the leak is stopped at the source, the oil on the Gulf is contained and cleaned up and the people of this region are able to go back to their lives and their livelihoods.”

Local businesses

Some working in the hospitality industry are worried about their livelihoods because of an increase in cancellations. Owners and operators are reacting quickly to the disaster in hopes of salvaging the summer tourist season.

Grand Hotel Marriott Resort, Golf Club & Spa General Manager David Clark issued a statement via the hotel’s Facebook page on Monday, assuring the public that the property “remains open to guests and is currently under normal business operations. We continue monitoring the oil spill developments and are staying in close contact with local and state authorities.”

Clark went on to say he hopes preventative measures being undertaken will minimize potential damage to Mobile Bay, and noted the resort staff is initiating precautions so that guests will continue to have an enjoyable stay.

Food safety and health measures

To be on the safe side, the Alabama Department of Public Health is preparing to issue health advisories related to oyster beds and shellfish if needed, and they are asking the public to use caution around contaminated waterways and beaches.

“We are working to obtain up-to-date information as a public health priority, and we will provide additional reports as more information becomes available,” stated Dr. Donald Williamson, state health officer.

In the meantime, health officials warn that if you suffer from asthma or other respiratory problems and detect an odor resulting from the oil spill, you should watch out for symptoms such as lightheadedness, nausea, vomiting or headaches. If you experience these symptoms, authorities recommend you consider staying indoors, ventilate your home with air conditioning and avoid strenuous outdoor activity.

If the symptoms do not improve, consider contacting your primary care physician or other health care provider for medical advice.

Other common sense advice offered by ALDPH includes washing hands before eating, and discarding fish that smells or tastes like oil. If you are in the immediate area of the oil spill, avoid direct contact with the oil. If you get oil or tar balls on your skin, wash with soap and water.

Launder articles of clothing as usual if you get oil on them. There is no need to use harsh detergents, solvents or other chemicals to wash oil from skin or clothing, and it is discouraged.

Other actions

Other federal, state and local agencies are also preparing for the worst.

The Baldwin County Commission, in conjunction with the county’s Emergency Management Agency, declared a local state of emergency that began Saturday. The declaration gives the county the ability to request additional resources and funding from the state. As a result, the EMA has been partially activated, and staff there will coordinate efforts with the UC in Mobile.

NOAA has moved to restrict fishing for at least 10 days in the federal waters most affected by the BP oil spill, mostly between the mouth of the Mississippi River to the waters off Pensacola Bay. State waters are subject to later closure.

The Dauphin Island Sea Lab is using its research vessels to collect water samples so marine scientists can assess the age composition and spawning state of local reef fish of both commercial and recreational value. Water samples are being gathered to be tested for hydrocarbon levels and establish a baseline prior to any possible oil exposure.

Researchers there are also sampling the distribution of fish eggs, larvae and microscopic plankton to assess any negative impact the oil might have. And they are keeping close tabs on Bama, a manatee tagged in Alabama waters who appears to be swimming westward along the Florida panhandle.

Dr. John Dindo, DISL associate director, has been busy coordinating efforts that might be needed to deal with wildlife covered in oil, particularly birds. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Dauphin Island Bird Sanctuary Foundation are working with DISL in re-establishing oiled bird response recovery plans that have not been needed for several years.

How to help

Thousands of folks are buzzing on social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook and MySpace, asking how they can volunteer their time or donate materials to help in the effort to clean wildlife, beaches and marshes. Others who cannot volunteer their time are asking what materials are needed, and where they can be taken.

More than 2,000 volunteers have been trained to assist in the response effort to date.

Information about how individuals can volunteer in the cleanup, how to claim losses and other important information can be found below.

FYI:

County information

www.baldwincountyal.gov

Volunteer for the cleanup effort

Mobile Baykeeper: (251) 433-4229, callaway@mobilebaykeeper.org

Mobile Bay National Estuary Program: (251) 431-6409, mbnep@mobilebaynep.com

Alabama Coastal Foundation: (251) 990-6002, info@joinacf.org

BP: (866) 448-5816

Mobile Bay Audubon Society: www.mobilebayaudubon.org

Federal Emergency Management Agency: www.fema.gov/donations

Matter of Trust (for hair donations): www.matteroftrust.org

Governor's Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives: 211

File a claim for damages

(800) 440-0858

Report oil-covered wildlife

(866) 557-1401

Report stranded sea turtles

(866) 732-8878

Report stranded dolphins and whales

(888) 767-3657

Report oiled shoreline

(866) 448-5816

Submit your vessel as a vessel of opportunity skimming system

(281) 366-5511

Submit alternative response technology, services or products

(281) 366-5511

Report fraudulent disaster relief solicitations

(866) 720-5721

Drop-off points for supplies:

Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo in Gulf Shores (they are also accepting Home Depot and Lowe’s gift cards there)

The Swamp Room downstairs at Felix’s Fish Camp in Spanish Fort

The Lyons Share Gallery in Fairhope

The Garage gallery in Point Clear

Supplies needed:

Pet crates

Nylons (panty hose, stockings, etc.)

Feather pillows

Goose down blankets

Feather bed mattresses

Hair clippings from your local salon or barbershop

Hair clippings from your pet groomer

Bleach

Dawn brand dishwashing liquid

Heavy duty latex gloves

Rubber, chemical-proof gloves

Laundry detergent

Towels

Bags of rags

Wire cutters (for hook removal)

Bolt cutters

Paper towels

Countertop dispensers for paper towels

Tarps (preferably green or camouflage)

Working vacuum cleaners

Heavy duty storage boxes

Metal garbage cans (for grain storage)

WD40

Five-gallon buckets

Heavy duty flashlights

Ice chests

Hand sanitizer

Zip ties

Heavy duty rakes

Heavy duty garbage bags