Gulf Shores, AL – President Barack Obama is getting an up-close look at the impact of the BP oil spill on the Alabama coast.
The president spoke at a staging area at Theodore on Monday, then took the Dauphin Island ferry to Fort Morgan for a trip along the beach road to Gulf Shores.
On the way to Dauphin Island, passers-by and spectators waved at the president's motorcade.
Alabama Gov. Bob Riley said Obama understands the spill has an impact on the coastal tourism industry as well as the seafood industry and natural habitat.
He said Gulf Shores Mayor Robert Craft made the point to the president that a huge number of the businesses in Baldwin County are family businesses, and the money they make during the next four months of tourist season determines if they will be back next year.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)