Hancock County MS beaches closed

WAVELAND, MS (WLOX) - State officials have closed the beach and parts of Beach Boulevard in Waveland due to huge amounts of tar balls washing up on the shore and on the road.

The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality has closed the beach from Nicholson Avenue to the Silver Slipper Casino at Bayou Caddy.

MDEQ Director Trudy Fisher told WLOX News, "There's more coverage than we've seen anywhere. You can't walk anywhere on the beach without walking on it, stepping on it."

Fisher said the water is up to the seawall, bringing much more of the oily material to shore.

Hancock County Emergency Management Public Information Officer Jerry Beaugez told WLOX Beach Boulevard in Hancock County, from Sears Avenue to Lakeshore Road is also closed because of road construction and because tar balls are washing over the roadbed.

The sections from Sears Avenue to Nicholson Avenue and from Lakeshore Road to the Silver Slipper are open.

The sand beach from Nicholson Avenue to the Silver Slipper is closed.

The Hancock County Board of Supervisors and the Emergency Management Director agreed the beach must be closed.

People will not be allowed on the beach in the closed area. Fisher says it will take at least two days to clean up the beach.

Source

I rode the beach with the EOC this morning and there are tarballs everywhere. We have had over 6" of rain in the past 3 days and the plants in my garden are starting to die. I have taken samples and a friend is going to have them tested.

Also a friend that still works offshore reported chatter that BP has a blowout on the first releif well but its not confirmed.

"Also a friend that still works offshore reported chatter that BP has a blowout on the first releif [SIC]well but its not confirmed."

That's extremely interesting and may become a very important post...well done, but that doesn't sound good.

I was watching the BOP dancing around last night and it crossed my mind whether perhaps the 'vibration' on the BOP may be in some way due to action further down with the relief well - i.e. attempting to drill into the well/shaft/seismic agitation?

Also, it may explain why otherwise promising releases of info on the relief well progress earlier in the week went oh so quiet...

I also wonder whether it may be linked to the increasing crackdown on site security, press access, web coverage and the sometimes reported loss of ROV feeds this week I've seen on ATS...?



[edit on 7-7-2010 by curioustype]

Thank you for this report. Please keep us apprised of the test results for your samples from your garden. I hope your health will be unaffected and that somehow, some way your region can be restored. How is the wildlife inland faring?

Sorry to hear about your garden and the adversity.
I dont doubt the toxic rain, I doubt that BP will ever admit the Corexit and oil caused the rains, just imagine the whole world will hold them liable, as they well should!

[edit on 7-7-2010 by burntheships]

Update:

The Closing of the beach here was due to health and safety concerns I was just notified through official channels. The media has been asked not to report because they do not want to panic the public. Also the MSNG has tested the air there and the results are in safe limits for VOC's and there is no crude smell at the time of testing.

I also heard a "Rumor" that the FEDs and the state are at odds over possible coast wide evacuations. They are looking at 20 miles inland but the state and locals won't allow it, Yet. There are also "Rumors" about other state NG deploied to MS becaus MSNG is refusing some of the FEDs orders.

Take those as they are Unconfirmed rumors. Just wanted to give a heads up cause the situation here can change fast. I may not be able to post anything on here.

reply to post by SWCCFAN

Thank you for your posts, you have also given us a great insight into some of the turmoil and real life on the ground impact and confusion that is unfolding in the area, and the breadth and depth of problems being faced by the authorities.

I really wonder where this is taking us, I wonder whether we will ever really know just how far reaching the implications are, in terms of both domestic US and international power/strategic destinies?

Thanks and good luck...please try to keep posting...

yeah keep it coming. when will those test be back to you? keep us posted please.

Oil covers the beach in Hancock County

WAVELAND, MS (WLOX) - For the first time since oil began spewing from the sea floor, parts of Hancock County beaches are closed. The beach from Nicholson Avenue passed Lake Shore Road up to the Silver Slipper Casino has been closed to visitors, as well as a portion of Beach Boulevard, as thousands of tar balls continue to wash ashore.

Shoes, water bottles, the beach and parts of the road are covered in brown sludge.

"My theory of it, it looks like a melted tootsie roll," Hancock County Emergency Operations Director Brian Adam said. "I mean, you feel it, you rub it and if you don't use a glove, that stuff is going to be sticking to the glove."

Adam said because the gooey mess has reached parts of Beach Boulevard, officials have temporarily deemed it hazardous for the public.

"We do have a portion of the road closed due to safety issues and safety concerns from Sears Avenue to Lake Shore Road," Adam said.

Along the closed off portion, you'll find everything from tar ball to tar patties, even oily boom.

"On a ordinary day, boom will hold. But let's face it, we had a low pressure system come in. It's been bringing 15 to 20 mile an hour winds or better at times so, it's not going to hold."

Adams said with the entire residue from the oil in the Gulf it became necessary to close the beach to visitors.

"I want to urge everybody to please, please stay off the beaches. This stuff is real nasty, as you can see it sticks. So, the best thing to do is stay off the beach."

According to Adam, in three to five days the beach will be clear of tar balls, that is if no more wash ashore.

"We're going to continue to patrol the beach. The clean up crews will have day and night operations and MDEQ will continue to be out here."

As of now, there are no plans to close any other parts of the beach. Adam said they have found a few oiled birds in recent days.

Source has video

This is not going to be good!

any results on your water tests yet?

SWCCFAN:

We have had over 6" of rain in the past 3 days and the plants in my garden are starting to die. I have taken samples and a friend is going to have them tested.

Also a friend that still works offshore reported chatter that BP has a blowout on the first releif well but its not confirmed

______________________________________________________


thank you for the post and the brainpower to take samples to be tested.

i have two questions.

How reliable in your opinion is this chatter of a second blowout?

And how long before the tests results are available for your affected plants?

i lied...

third question :

How do your remaining plants look today? are they continueing to degrade?

Fourth:

Can you please take a few pics of your garden and embed?

Thanks op

S+F

~meathead

reply to post by camaro68ss


Not yet having a hard time sending them out. UPS, FedEX, and USPS require MSDS to ship the samples. I have the MSDS for CRUDE oil and the 2 kinds of COREXIT but not one for the mixtures of the 2 plus salt water and rain water.

Have a guy comming to pick them up next week.

Originally posted by SWCCFAN
UPS, FedEX, and USPS require MSDS to ship the samples. I have the MSDS for CRUDE oil and the 2 kinds of COREXIT but not one for the mixtures of the 2 plus salt water and rain water.

...something tells me that elusive MSDS is in the midst of a major update. Isn't that a catch 22 though? msds required for sending samples out to a place where you find out what exactly the samples are samples of...

me? I'd declare the package contained sand... the rest? I'm unsure... sending it for testing.

thank you for reporting. keep us updated on the blowout rumors.

Sri Oracle

Wondering if you have had the chance to take those pictures of your garden yet?
and also if you have an update about the samples tested?

how do your remaining plants look?

thanks in advance

~meathead

[edit on 10-7-2010 by Mike Stivic]

Originally posted by SWCCFAN

Also a friend that still works offshore reported chatter that BP has a blowout on the first releif well but its not confirmed.

Would like to hear more about this Perhaps this is the motivation for the new containment cap?