Awaiting A Recovery: Disaster Underneath the Gulf Oil Sheen
Posted by Mark Norton on Wed, May 05, 2010
While continuing to follow the latest updates to the BP / Gulf Coast oil spill (that has claimed 11 lives and now threatens hundreds of species of wildlife along the Gulf shores, and which in 35 days is projected to be larger than the Exxon Valdez) I grew sad to learn of the underlying problem complicating this huge catastrophe that has transformed the Gulf Coast in just a few days - failure to plan.
On Saturday, May 1st, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, was still waiting for a plan from BP on how to protect the state's coast from the massive oil spill. Nine days had already passed. Over 600 National Guard soldiers were on duty to help contain the spill with another 1,000 on standby; however no one had received any marching orders. Meanwhile the oil slick continues to expand from roughly the size of Rhode Island to something closer to the size of Puerto Rico, populating the normally blue-green gulf waters with sticky, pea- to quarter-sized brown beads of oil.
The reason they are waiting is because there was never a plan. BP had no plan for a major oil spill because in 2009 the company determined it was unlikely, or virtually impossible, for an accident to occur that would lead to a giant crude oil spill and serious danger to wildlife. BP Spokesperson David Nicholas stated, "The sort of occurrence that we've seen on the Deepwater Horizon is clearly unprecedented." While I agree this event is unprecedented, I challenge their thinking that such an event was virtually impossible. Since BP did not plan adequately for a worst-case scenario, they also failed to address the kind of technology needed to control a spill at that depth of water. And so we wait...we wait for one to be developed for an event that has already happened - one whose effects are being compared to those of a Category 5 hurricane.
The results of BP's planning failure will undoubtedly have an impact on most of us. However, my hope is that we use this disaster as a reminder to the rest of us - to plan for our worst-case scenario, no matter how unlikely. I encourage everyone to take a second or third (or first!) look into your disaster recovery plans and determine if the preparation we rely on is fit to handle that virtually impossible occurrence. The historic satellite image of the oil spill on the Gulf will always serve as a reminder for me that worst-case disasters do happen and we all need to have a plan.
- Mark Norton
Associate Continuity Planner
Agility Recovery Solutions
Agility Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity Solutions
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