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Case Study of Deep Water Oil Spill and Hurricane Katrina Case Study of Deep Water Oil Spill and Hurricane Katrina John Sprague HLS876 Issues in Public Health and Emergency Planning Dr. John Giduck 22 February 2017 1

Case Study of Deep Water Oil Spill and Hurricane Katrina This document will discuss the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and Hurricane Katrina in order to determine what leadership and management shortcomings at the local, state, and federal levels were experienced. While also determining if a National Infrastructure Management Systems was implemented during the response for these two disasters. The case study will begin with a brief background on the disasters and their effects on the economy, loss of life and the required response assets from the Government as well as local agencies. The Deepwater Horizon oil spill (also known as the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill or the BP Oil Spill) is a large ongoing oil spill caused by an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon offshore oil platform 40 miles southeast of the Louisiana coast on April 20, 2010. Most of the 126 workers on the platform were safely evacuated, and a search and rescue operation began for 11 missing workers. The Deepwater Horizon sank in about 5,000 feet (1,500 m) of water. Although estimated to be leaking 1,000 1,000 barrels of oil a day government officials said there were three leaks and the well was spilling over 5,000 barrels of oil a day which is over 200,000 gallons of oil nearly a mile below sea level. Hurricane Katrina killed an estimated 1,245 people died in the hurricane and subsequent floods. The storm destroyed homes across the southern US causing property damage estimated at $108 billion. Katrina also had a profound impact on the environment. The storm surge caused substantial beach erosion, in some cases completely devastating coastal areas. The damage from Katrina forced the closure of 16 National Wildlife Refuges. Breton National Wildlife Refuge lost half its area in the storm.As a result, the hurricane affected the habitats of sea turtles, Mississippi sandhill cranes, Red-cockaded woodpeckers and Alabama Beach mice. Like the Deep Water Oil spill hurricane Katrina caused extensive oil spills in its aftermath. The storm caused oil spills from 44 facilities throughout southeastern Louisiana, which resulted in over 7 million US gallons 2

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