The following questions and answers are being provided in the event your staff fields questions from current or potential visitors. When dealing with the public, it is important not to “sugarcoat” the situation. The spill is serious and officials say the Keys are at risk of being affected. If it happens, there is also much uncertainly as to timing and exact impacts. Not to be forgotten are the people and wildlife on the northern Gulf coast that are now being affected:

I saw in the news where the oil slick will reach the Florida Keys this weekend? According to U.S Coast Guard and Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary officials, there is no information supporting this claim. The oil from the spill is still positioned in the northern Gulf of Mexico, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) trajectory analysis.
 
What is the Loop Current? The Gulf Loop Current is a clockwise current that carries water from the Yucatan Channel north into the Gulf of Mexico, then back down south off the Florida west coast, past the Dry Tortugas and into the Gulf Stream. In this incident the current plays a crucial role because of concerns that if oil gets into the Loop Current, it could be swept to the south, possibly into or around the Keys and possibly carried by the Gulf Stream to other areas of Florida and the U.S. east coast.
 
Can you guarantee me that the oil will not make its way into the Keys during my vacation? Nobody can make a long-term guarantee that residue from the Gulf coast oil spill will or will not be in the Keys. But what we do know is that NOAA forecasts oil slick trajectory movements within a 72-hour timeframe. As long as the oil is north of the Gulf Loop, it is likely not to affect the Keys. If it does get into the Loop Current, it will probably take two to three days to migrate down to the Dry Tortugas region, (situated about 70 miles west of Key West) before possibly exiting into the Gulf Stream. Long-range forecasts are virtually impossible. But given current circumstances, if the oil did get into the Loop Current it would require an additional two to four days to migrate near the Keys.
 
How can oil get into the Loop Current? It’s based primarily on wind direction in the northern Gulf of Mexico. A strong wind from the north would push oil toward the Loop Current. Winds from the south help to keep oil away from the Loop Current.
 
If the oil gets into the Loop Current, what impacts will it have on the Keys? This is a huge question because this is an unprecedented event. Officials cannot project how much oil might get near the Keys or how thick it will be. In theory, the more time oil spends in the water, the more it disperses. Further complicating projections is the fact that no one knows whether the oil will make its way over reefs or into mangroves, or simply flow with the current around the Keys. Nothing of this magnitude has every happened before in the Gulf of Mexico.
 
I hear authorities have shut down fishing in the Keys? That is not true. Earlier this week NOAA issued an order restricting fishing in federal waters affected by the oil spill. That area is between Louisiana state waters at the mouth of the Mississippi River to waters off Florida’s Pensacola Bay. No other areas of Florida, including the Keys, are under the order at the current time. It also means that Keys-caught seafood has not been affected and is safe to consume.
 
Is it safe to dive, swim and participate in other water sports in the Keys? There are no advisories in the Keys currently in effect due to the Gulf oil spill. The Monroe County Health Department is monitoring the situation and would issue an advisory in the event of any health-related risk.
 
I’m apprehensive about traveling to the Keys because I don’t want to lose money if oil comes and ruins my vacation! Each hotel has its own cancellation policy. It is prudent to check with the hotel, as well as any other Keys travel-related operator, in advance to determine cancellation policies and if management will offer refunds in the event oil adversely affects Keys waters.
 
I hear much of Florida is under a state of emergency! Thirteen of the state’s 67 counties are under a state of emergency, even though no impacts have yet been seen in Florida. The Keys are in Monroe County and a state of emergency has not been declared for Monroe at this time. Many times a state of emergency is designated as a standard prerequisite to qualify an area for emergency federal funds, if needed.
 
When will this be over? We don’t know for sure. The outcome and timing depends on when the actual leaks at the well site can be plugged or effectively contained and how well current mitigation efforts work in containing the oil that is in already in the water.
 
Where can I get more information on the oil spill? The Keys tourism council is posting information — including official NOAA oil slick trajectory maps — on its Web site at www.fla-keys.com as well as on Twitter and Facebook.
 
http://twitter.com/thefloridakeys
http://www.facebook.com/floridakeysandkeywest
 
Spill-related Web sites, primarily focusing on affected areas, include:
 
http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com 
http://www.noaa.gov