Thank you very much for registering as an oil spill cleanup volunteer at OilSpillVolunteers.com. We are heartened that so many people want to give their time and talents to assist in this serious problem.
What is OilSpillVolunteers.com?
OilSpillVolunteers.com began on April 29 when two ordinary folks saw an urgent need to organize volunteers to assist with the cleanup of BP's oil spill in our backyard. There was no website for volunteers to register their interest in helping, so we created one. More details may be found here. Our objective was a simple one: to rapidly identify volunteers and route them to the organization(s) that would train them and put them to work. We've accomplished that objective for most of the list. Now that conventional channels have come on line to register volunteers, we are stepping back. This morning we closed the site to new registrations. We want to incorporate our volunteer database into the “official” system that is developing. This morning we provided the Pascagoula River Audubon Center a list of 5988 volunteers who indicated an interest in wildlife work and who gave us permission to forward their information. Today, our focus is placing the rest of the volunteer list with an appropriate group. With that done we will have completed our objective.
What is the Current Status?
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As we work to deal with the problems posed by this massive spill, we should always remember the 11 workers who perished on the rig that day and their families.
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When we closed the registration system, there were 7782 volunteer records in the database. The actual number of individual volunteers is substantially higher since one record often represents a group of people. The majority of volunteers come from the Gulf Coast. (These figures reflect subtotals for yesterday afternoon.)
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Texas - 258
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Louisiana – 793
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Mississippi – 3175
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Alabama – 1000
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Florida – 83
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International volunteers include 53 Canadians, four volunteers from France, and some from other countries.
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As Coast Guard Admiral Landry said, “We have been given a gift, a gift of time.” Oil has not yet come ashore along most of the coast. Most sources indicate that the well site continues to leak oil at about 210,000 gallons/day.
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There is no large-scale need for volunteers now, though that could change quickly with changes in weather conditions or an increase in the oil leak rate.
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Crude oil is a toxic substance. OSHA requires that anyone working with oil in a cleanup effort have HAZWOPER (Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response) certification and protective equipment. Special training, certification, and equipment are also required for rehabilitation of oil-soaked wildlife.
- We are disappointed that BP has not responded to our continuing efforts to establish effective communication to enable their full use of our database of volunteers. We have opened some small lines of communication to pass along information for those already holding HAZWOPER certifications.
- An additional resource we have created is an online oil containment Boom Problem Reporting System that enables coast residents and others to report problems with deployed booms. While the system provides 24/7 online capabilities, BP has been willing to accept input by email only and only once per day. We have not yet publicized this effort strongly, pending establishing an effective way to make the information available to the people responsible for taking corrective action. If we can find out who they are we will tailor a web-based and/or email reporting system to meet their needs. Hopefully, some official group will step forward to take charge of this system.
What can you do now? Our suggestions:
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Use this time to learn about oil spill cleanup processes and issues. Good references are provided on the website. Oil cleanup is dirty and potentially dangerous work. Be informed about the nature of the work before jumping in to a training session.
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If you wish to work with oil in the cleanup effort, participate in HAZWOPER and wildlife rehabilitation training sessions in your area. OSHA has authorized an abbreviated four-hour HAZWOPER course that would certify graduates to participate in the BP spill cleanup. Training programs are being developed by BP and state and local organizations throughout the Gulf Coast. We know of no central source for information. Educational resources are available on line.
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If you outside the affected area, we suggest that you remain home for now.
- For those volunteers on the Gulf Coast, we suggest that you monitor your shores for oil, distressed wildlife, and problems with boom systems. Do not attempt to clean up oil or oil-contaminated wildlife. Call 866-557-1401 to report oiled wildlife. Report broken or dislodged, oil containment booms on our Boom Problem Reporting System.
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All volunteers should also register with the BP Community Information Line.
What's next?
- We feel a strong obligation to each of you volunteers to see that your generous offer receives the appropriate response from BP and response team.
- We will continue to encourage BP and the cleanup team to work with us to assimilate our database, particularly those individuals with HAZWOPER certification and oil cleanup experience.
We are honored to be involved with all of you and we thank you.
Don Abrams and Melanie Allen
OilSpillVolunteers.com
- Pascagoula River Audubon Center - http://pascagoulariver.
audubon.org - BP Community Information Line - 866.448.5816
- BP Wildlife Hotline – 866.557.1401
- BP Claims - 800.440.0858
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