Transcript of: Tar balls raise fears of oil spread in Fla.
MICHELE KOSINSKI reporting:
I'm
Michele Kosinski
in
Key West
,
Florida
, a weathered town that prides itself on survival with a smile. Hurricanes are met with margaritas. Just about anything goes. But the sudden arrival of big globs of tar, 20 of them on
Key West
yesterday, more today, so far away from the oil spill, are a stark reminder of what could come even here.
Ms. ROSANNE POTTER (Key West Resident):
This is a perfect place and to have it destroyed is just -- it's not acceptable.
KOSINSKI:
And that oily tail forming in the
Gulf
like a whip poised at
Florida
is one threat residents fear will not simply blow over. Today the
Coast Guard
hit the beaches looking for more tar.
Petty Officer LISSETTE GUITIEREZ (US Coast Guard):
We just need to basically collect them for analysis and determine if it did come from
BP
.
KOSINSKI:
Many believe that's unlikely. The spill is still so distant, and the heavy sea traffic here does sometimes deposit small amounts of oil. It's what happens within the next 10 days or so that could change things along this coast, where nature is like the heart root that keeps it going.
The Coast Guard
is having the tar tested in a lab. The results due back in a few days.
Ms. JANICE HAMPTON (Key West Resident):
We can go to the moon and we can go all these places, and this is happening and they can't stop it?
KOSINSKI:
What may be the most laid back town in
America
...
Unidentified Woman:
It's tragic. It's like -- it's horrific.
KOSINSKI:
...now afraid of what these gentle waves might bring. Michele Kosinski, NBC News,
Key West
,
“ ”