Public invited to ask questions about oil spill

The Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium and its partners will host three community forums to help provide answers to the public’s questions about the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

A forum will take place from 9 a.m. to noon on Wednesday, June 2, at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum and Convention Center, 2350 Beach Blvd., in Biloxi. Forums will take place also at the Mobile Civic Center in Mobile, Ala., from 6-9 p.m. on June 2 and from 9 a.m. until noon on June 3.

Representatives from state resource agencies, the Small Business Administration (SBA), U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, BP and other agencies have been invited to answer questions and share information about the situation in the Gulf. Topics will include seafood safety, oil impacts on habitats, dispersants and human health, business and personal finance, coping with a technological disaster and legal perspectives.

"We know there is a lot of uncertainty out there, and people want answers," said LaDon Swann, director of Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant. "We will do our best to provide answers to questions that have answers. If we are unable to answer a question, there will be a follow-up response."

The forums will start with a 45-minute joint session. Then, participants can attend the sessions about the topics that interest them most.