Oil slick closing in on Pensacola Beach

By Travis Griggs tgriggs@pnj.com Kimberly Blair kblair@pnj.com • June 1, 2010 Escambia County and Gulf Breeze officials are bracing for the imminent landfall of oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill on Pensacola beach and local waterways. “It’s inevitable that we will see it on the beaches,” said Keith Wilkins, Escambia’s deputy chief of neighborhood and community services. Several areas of floating oil sheen were spotted as close as 7 1/2 miles to Pensacola Pass today, sending local oil spill response crews scrambling to enact protection measures. This afternoon, Coast Guard officials confirmed reports from local fishermen that patches of sheen had washed within miles of Pensacola Beach. … Pensacola Bay’s main defense against the approaching oil is a V-shaped boom, which will be stretched across the mouth of Pensacola Pass to funnel incoming oil into a collection system. … The Escambia County Health Department said that some residents may be able to smell fumes from the spill in coming days. Sensitive individuals may experience eye, nose and throat irritation from exposure to the fumes, officials said. People with pre-existing respiratory conditions should stay inside an air-conditioned home with the windows closed if they experience symptoms from the fumes, Health Department officials said. Affected individuals should consult their doctors if symptoms persist.