A press release from the Emergency Management Office.
MEDIA ADVISORY #6: FRIDAY, MAY 7, 2010
CONTACT: PUBLIC INFORMATION (ESF 14) (850) 653-3655 EXT 105
APALACHICOLA— Franklin County Emergency officials finalized a plan Friday which would deploy thousands of feet of deflective boom material along the county’s shoreline to protect sensitive coastal habitat if the need arises. The plan, drafted by the County’s newly formed Contingency Action Planning Committee (CAPC), was sent to the State Emergency Operations Center (EOC) for review and approval Friday, May 7. Once the plan is approved, local emergency officials say they are in a position to implement the plan immediately if required.
According to Pam Brownell, Franklin County EOC director, the County Response Plan is the culmination of several days of work by state and local emergency officials. Now, she said, the plan is in the hands of the State EOC for review. According to Brownell, the State EOC is currently reviewing county response plans in the order in which the threat is most immediate. “We are in the group of counties with review priority because of our location,” she said. But, she added, “as of Friday, Franklin County is not on any trajectory maps.”
Franklin County’s emergency personnel began working on the County’s Response plan almost immediately following the April 22 Louisiana Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. According to Brownell, the County’s plan was created with input from local and state personnel, including guide captains, fishermen and biologists familiar with the area’s estuarine habitat, water currents and navigation conditions.
“The Franklin County Plan is intended to serve in support of the State’s response plan but includes more extensive strategies to protect our sensitive resources,” Brownell says.
As emergency personnel work behind the scenes to make preparations for a worst case scenario, local tourism and business leaders are working hard to get the word out that Franklin County has not been affected by the oil spill incident.
“We’re fine right now but we’re doing what we have to do to protect our bay,” says County Commission Chairman Joseph (Smokey) Parrish. Parrish is one of several local officials who sit in on the daily briefings. “Our message at this point is come on down, eat seafood and enjoy the beach!”
Residents interested in helping to prepare for any impacts from the Louisiana Oil Spill are encouraged to contact the Apalachicola Riverkeeper organization which is coordinating the volunteer efforts. For more information, call 850-653-8936 or visit www.oilspillrecovery.org.
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