Almost a year after the fatal accident which caused the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill, Hancock County’s beaches and marshlands are continuing to feel the effects on a daily basis.
Hancock County Emergency Management Director Brian “Hootie” Adam said Tuesday that he has seen an increase in oil-related materials in recent weeks.
“We are continuing to find things on the beaches,” Adam said. “We walk and ride the beach all the time, and we check the out-falls every day.”
Adam said most of the oil-related items are being found west of the Waveland city limits.
“We’re finding tar balls in the out-falls every day,” Adam said. “I don’t know where they are coming from, but they keep coming.”
On the beaches, some tar balls continue to wash in with the tide, while others are being discovered underneath the sand.
More alarming, Adam said, EMA workers have discovered nine dead sea turtles and a dead baby dolphin in the past week.
The dead animals are taken away by the National Resource Agency, but what happens to them afterwards is a mystery, he said.
“I don’t know what happens to the animals,” Adam said. “I assume they are being tested. We are used to seeing dead animals on the beach such as catfish and crabs, but this many turtles and dolphins? I don’t know.”
Adam said BP is continuing to work the beaches with clean-up crews.
Meanwhile, residents have once again begun fishing and crabbing in the area, now that the beach road is mostly complete.
Adam said he has not received any reports of bad seafood, and the Department of Marine Resources continues to monitor Gulf seafood for any signs of contamination.
Adam said he also wants people to be aware that although the beaches are still open, they may come in contact with oil-related materials.
Anyone who comes in contact with any suspicious substances on the beach can call the EMA at 228-466-8620.
