Introduction
Natural disasters are catastrophic events caused by Earth’s natural processes. These events, driven by Earth’s natural processes, often result in widespread environmental destruction and loss of life. It is only possible to minimize the impact of a natural disaster because it is unavoidable. Sometimes, natural disasters are impacted by human activity, while natural forces can amplify unnatural disasters. System failures resulting from artificial disasters are often linked to human error, negligence, or malicious intent.
In contrast to natural disasters, man-made disasters may be carefully planned for and avoided. Nevertheless, both types of disasters can be unpredictable and pose severe threats to public health and well-being (Department of Homeland Security, 2018). Examples of natural and man-made disasters explored in this context include Hurricane Katarina and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Hurricane Katrina
The Atlantic storm, which began as a Category 1 hurricane, swept across southern Florida and became one of the most expensive natural disasters in American history. As it became clear that thousands of individuals could not leave or chose to remain, the situation quickly deteriorated. Peace and order in New Orleans were reportedly broken, and several allegations of looting and chaos occurred.
Although more than 80% of the residents were evacuated, the rest remained, with some dying in the streets (Diaz et al., 2020). Despite the government’s effort to manage the disaster, critics blamed the federal government for the botched relief effort and for letting people die for lack of food, water, medicine, and other essentials.
Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
The Deepwater Horizon disaster in 2010 was one of the most catastrophic maritime oil spills in history. Natural gas surged through the drill’s concrete core on April 20, 2010, rising to the rig platform and detonating on the surface (Reuscher et al., 2020). The rig burned for 36 hours before collapsing and sinking into the ocean below.
Attempts were undertaken soon after the tragedy to stop the flow using remotely operated underwater vehicles and well-containment dams. However, both containment methods were unsuccessful until mid-July, when the leak was completely stopped. Six months after the initial explosion and several days of pumping the oil well with cement, the leak was finally sealed, and the well was declared dead.
Resource Management During the Disasters
The priority during the oil rig disaster was the search and rescue effort for the 121 crew members aboard the rig. The Coast Guard and NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration coordinated search-and-rescue efforts. It entailed dispatching rescue boats and helicopters to the accident site. Although 11 people died during the disaster, coordinating the search and rescue effort was a success because most crew members escaped (Reuscher et al., 2020). Unlike the oil rig disaster, early warning systems had alerted everyone that the hurricane was approaching, and everyone was ordered to evacuate.
For instance, the New Orleans mayor issued the city’s first-ever mandatory evacuation order the day before the storm arrived (Chuang et al., 2019). However, early warning system information was never fully utilized in planning and coordinating emergency management. The coordination of search and rescue efforts during the oil rig disaster was remarkably efficient, given the complexity of the incident, compared to Hurricane Katrina.
The incident operations coordinator did a commendable job pulling together facts and moving staff into place. Among the first to be activated for the accident were oceanographers, who began running trajectories for both the missing crew and potential oil discharges. Although the accident was reported at 10:00 PM, the missing crew members had been reduced to 11-12 by the first press release at 7:26 AM (Office of Response and Restoration, 2020). It shows the Coast Guard’s coordination of human resources, water, and air operations was efficient and effective.
In contrast, the event leading to Hurricane Katrina was marred with confusion and misinformation. The level of coordination during the evacuation was too low, with people left to make decisions based on personal judgment. For instance, some drove through ravaging traffic to reach safety, while others went to a large convention center or the Superdome sports arena, or sought refuge in their homes (Davis et al., 2020). It shows that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), responsible for safety and disaster management, misjudged the situation despite having access to hurricane forecast information.
The incident team, assembled in the war room, continued to assess the situation and determine the right personnel to send to the scene. For example, the team included the incident operations coordinator (Doug Helton), lead oceanographer (Charlie Henry), assistant scientific support coordinator (Mary Gill), and the Seattle support team on standby, which consisted of an overflight specialist and an information management person(Office of Response and Restoration, 2020).
Following the Hurricane disaster, an effort was made to assemble a team of emergency responders in time to salvage the situation. The emergency response team consisted of doctors, police, firefighters, the Red Cross, local government officials, and FEMA. The team of experts involved in the oil rig disaster was more coordinated and efficient than the one involved in the hurricane disaster.
For instance, FEMA gradually became aware that its response effort was inadequate, as massive help was needed but little had arrived (Davis et al., 2020). Similarly, the New Orleans local government established a command center, but it remained dysfunctional and lacked essential communication with the state and federal governments. Overall, assembling the response team and coordination effort in the Deepwater incident was far more effective than the coordination effort in the Katrina Hurricane disaster.
Firefighting vessels had also been dispatched to the rig to contain the fire while search and rescue were ongoing. BP, the oil rig company, had mobilized a range of on-water pollution response vessels the following day (Office of Response and Restoration, 2020). The prompt response to contain the fire and assess the environmental impact soon after the disaster indicated a high level of incident preparedness. Unlike the Deepwater Horizon disaster, Hurricane Katrina affected a massive population, complicating rescue efforts.
Coast Guards and private citizens used their boats to help rescue displaced people and provide them with food and shelter. However, these efforts appeared to be individual, suggesting that the federal government was unprepared for the storm, while FEMA took several days to establish its operations. Unlike the Deepwater Horizon disaster, even the Superdome, which hosted victims, had limited supplies, indicating that no sound action plan existed during the hurricane disaster.
The BP company deployed a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) to activate the blowout prevention system. Although three attempts early in the response phase failed, they indicated that BP made a significant effort to control the leakage with the resources available to it. One notable setback during the response was a technology failure, as the ROV proved ineffective in containing the incident (Office of Response and Restoration, 2020).
The rescue effort in the aftermath of Katrina escalated, with rescue helicopters used to control chaos and the Coast Guard rescuing survivors. Similarly, the U.S. military moved ships and helicopters to the region to offer support. Generally, the deployment of equipment and technology after both disasters was significant; however, it was particularly inefficient during the Deepwater Horizon disaster.
The BP company developed three massive containment domes to be dropped into the water to cover the well and block the leak. However, it failed to accomplish its mission, forcing BP engineers to use undersea robots to move the containment chamber over the remaining leaks on the seabed (Office of Response and Restoration, 2020). The methods failed, and the underwater robot was abandoned.
Finally, BP installed more tightly fitting containment caps on the wellhead, stopping the leak. The recovery operations during the Deepwater disaster were complex and required more advanced equipment than those during Hurricane Katrina. The primary resources utilized in recovery efforts during Katrina were the Army Corps of Engineers’ repair of the canal breach and the installation of a pump to drain the region of water.
Conclusion
Natural disasters result from Earth’s processes and are difficult to control, unlike man-made disasters. While any disaster can be challenging to contain, assembling the search-and-rescue team, coordinating, and responding during the Deepwater Horizon disaster were more effective than in Hurricane Katrina. Despite the complex nature of the rig oil disaster, personnel responded promptly and efficiently with rescue boats and helicopters to assist crew members working on the rig.
Containment measures, such as the deployment of remotely operated underwater vehicles and containment domes, indicate the highest level of incident preparedness despite technological failures. However, recovery operations, in which the army was deployed to build and drain water and helicopters were used to monitor the situation and control chaos, were more effective during the hurricane disaster.
References
Chuang, W.-C., Eason, T., Garmestani, A., & Roberts, C. (2019). Impact of Hurricane Katrina on the coastal systems of southern Louisiana. Frontiers in Environmental Science, 7.
Department of Homeland Security. (2018, May 4). Natural disasters. Department of Homeland Security.
Davis, S., Rose-Davison, K., & Smith, D. G. (2020). Hurricane Katrina at 15: Introduction to the special section. American Journal of Public Health, 110(10), 1461–1462.
Diaz, J. H., Brisolara, K. F., Harrington, D. J., Hu, C., & Katner, A. L. (2020). The environmental health impact of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans. American Journal of Public Health, 110(10), 1480–1484.
Office of Response and Restoration. (2020, April 20). The early days and hours of deepwater horizon | NOAA’s office of response & restoration blog. NOAA.
Reuscher, M. G., Baguley, J. G., & Montagna, P. A. (2020). The expanded footprint of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico deep-sea benthos. PLOS ONE, 15(6), e0235167.