Mayor A.J. Holloway, after discussing oil-spill preparations with key department heads this morning, will ask the City Council this afternoon to declare that a state of emergency exists in Biloxi as oil threatens the Biloxi shoreline.
The mayor has called a 1:30 meeting of the council this afternoon. A state of emergency declaration gives the mayor authority to take extraordinary measures to help protect life and property.
Department directors have been advised to begin preparations as if preparing for a hurricane, documenting time and preparation expenses.
Among the measures discussed this morning:
— Vessel owners are advised to trailer smaller vessels and remove them from the water if possible.
— The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources is advising crab fishermen with crab traps in the Mississippi Sound to consider the temporary removal of traps from those waters.
— The city plans to place protective booms around its public marinas and harbors.
— Public Works crews will stage barricades along key areas of the beachfront so barricades can be quickly deployed.
— The city this afternoon will begin creating an online database of volunteers and will pass along contact information regarding any training sessions for volunteers.
Online links
Trajectory: To see path of the oil spill since April 25 and through today, click here.
Boom areas: To see the areas where booms will be located, click here.
Stranding hotline: Anyone seeing stranded marine mammals or sea turtles should call the Stranding Hotline at 1-888-806-1674. Callers to the recorded line should be prepared to leave their name, contact information, and location and general size of the species.
Oil spill map: To see a USA Today map showing an animated track of the spill,
click here.
