Just in case: Virginia., N.C. prepare for oil cleanup

VIRGINIA BEACH
 
The gooey blobs and slicks of oil soiling Gulf state beaches probably won't reach this far north.
 
But Hatteras, Virginia Beach and state officials are forming plans just in case. Meanwhile, they want tourists to know that local beaches are pristine and open for business.
 
Chances are slim that oil from the Gulf spill will make it to the mid-Atlantic, scientists and government officials say.
 
If the oil did reach the Outer Banks or Virginia Beach, it would likely be in the form of "tar balls," not the massive slicks plaguing the Gulf, said Coast Guard Cmdr. Brian Thompson in Atlantic Beach, N.C. "They're more of a nuisance than any type of ecological disaster," he said.
 
Old Dominion University oceanographer Larry Atkinson said even the chance of tar balls washing up at Virginia Beach was low.
 
Beachgoers will have "higher odds of seeing dog poop," he said.
 
Even so, officials remain watchful.
 
In Virginia Beach, they are collecting data, monitoring ocean current models and communicating with state and federal agencies to see where the oil might go, said Dave Hansen, deputy city manager.
 
"All planned activities in the city and the resort are a go," he said. "We're prepared for a busy tourist season. We don't think it's going to affect anything before Labor Day at the earliest, and even then we don't think there will be an effect."
 
Gov. Bob McDonnell has assembled a Cabinet-level team to prepare for any potential impact from the spill.
 
"Planners tell us that there is a very small likelihood of oil in any form making it from over 1,000 miles away in the Gulf of Mexico to the commonwealth's coastal waters," McDonnell spokesman Tucker Martin said. "However, the governor believes it is important that we are well prepared and have a plan in place for this possibility, even if the chances are extremely remote."
 
Separately, U.S. senators from mid-Atlantic states, including Virginia Democrats Mark Warner and Jim Webb, penned a letter on Thursday to federal officials working on the oil spill, urging them to partner with state officials.
 
The letter asks the Department of Homeland Security to coordinate with emergency agencies in coastal states and for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to share any data it has about where oil from the spill might travel.
 
Officials at Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge and Cape Hatteras National Seashore said they're monitoring the situation and are ready to work with the Coast Guard, the lead federal agency on the spill.
 
"We're in a wait-and-see mode at this point," said Cyndy Holda, spokeswoman for the national seashore.
 
The unprecedented nature of the spill has added concern about what might happen, said Ernie Seneca, spokesman for the North Carolina Department of Crime and Public Safety, the lead state agency monitoring the spill.
 
"The amount of oil being spilled is unknown at this time," he said. "We must remain vigilant."
 
The disaster may end up benefiting Beach tourism because people might come here instead of Gulf areas.
 
"It's positive for us, but you don't want to go out and advertise like that," said Jim Ricketts, the city's tourism director. "That's not what we're about."
 
"There are tourists that are hyper about any activity that might spoil their vacation," said Sandy Sanderson, emergency management coordinator for Dare County. "They call ahead, and we tell them if it were to be a problem, it's still months a way."
 
Aaron Applegate, (757) 222-5122, aaron.applegate@pilotonline.com
 
 
Julian Walker, (804) 697-1564,julian.walker@pilotonline.com