Bonnie Becomes a Depression, Florida Oil Spill Cleanup Clears Gulf
Friday, July 23, 2010
By: Nicole Creston

July 23, 2010 -- Tropical Storm Bonnie has been downgraded to a depression. The system's outer bands are still expected to bring fast-moving and windy storms into Central Florida until late Friday evening, then the storm will move into the Gulf. Florida's oil spill response team say they're working to get people and equipment out of the way.

As of Friday’s 5 p.m. update, the depression is moving off the coast of Southwest Florida into the Gulf, taking the storm’s effects from Florida to the area of the Gulf oil spill by early tomorrow. The storm is expected to make landfall near Louisiana late Saturday.

Florida officials are scrambling to clear out the oil spill response. The biggest job, says Florida Panhandle Incident Commander Joe Beaudreaux, is packing up the miles of boom that were so carefully deployed to protect the shore from oil.

“Of the approximate 790,000 feet of boom deployed around the Panhandle, so far over 180,000 feet have been removed and readied for redeployment once the storm passes,” says Beaudreaux.

There is also a more positive event that will follow the storm’s passage.  That’s the re-opening of 26,000 square miles of federal waters to commercial and recreational fishing.  Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Director Nick Wiley says it’s good news for a badly battered industry.

“We are all being careful at the state, local and federal level that we reopen areas only, only when we’re very certain that the seafood is safe, and it’s safe to take fish from those areas and for public consumption,” Wiley says.       

A third of the waters that had been off limits because of the oil spill are now open again for fishing.