Crisis Management: Deepwater Horizon Response Post 1

Post One

What I experienced, learned and accomplished deployed to the Deepwater Horizon Response.

Having just returned from working for Homeland Security in a support role to BP, the U.S. Coast Guard, state and federal partners on the Deepwater Horizon oil spill response, the experience even more indoctrinated my disdain for those who believe things at face value and then repeat the information without regard to fact. It certainly was a challenge for me at times because I wanted to shout to the world about the people behind the scenes working so hard to make a difference and the positive stories about the differences they were making.

Though I lived and breathed it, I watched in amazement at how the political, media and public conjectured. Was the information transparent? At first it wasn’t. Could the situation have been handled better? In the beginning, you bet. A person once told me that appearances are everything. I added to that wise council, “Yes, your point is well taken, but integrity and responsibility don’t appear as anything else.” From a public affairs standpoint, appearances, plus a lack of transparency is where the response to this disaster went wrong in the beginning. A few wrong decisions at the highest levels really affected the local residents and not enough factual information being distributed meant the media and the public were often left to speculate. And once a crisis issue starts out on the wrong track; it makes it easy for those on the outside to continue focusing on the flaws and the flawed.

Once entrenched in the response, I was humbled by the thousands of fellow Americans tirelessly working 12-14 hour days, seven days a week, and away from home for weeks on end. Working to restore the crisis in the Gulf, staff worked side-by-side representing more than 33 different logos...county, state, federal, military and BP.

The crisis was not created by one and each of us knew that alone, one could not solve it. It was not a political issue; it was a United States of America issue. The effort included so many amazing and talented individuals that I am proud to call friends and would serve with again any day. These people weren’t a big corporation; they were like you and me – professionals with passion, feelings, drive, experience and many were from the Gulf Coast region.

Responders surrounded me from all ranks and backgrounds. I can’t even begin to explain their dedication to responsibility, the highest regard to integrity and what a wealth of knowledge. From GIS to HAZMAT, writers to pilots, security to meterologists. On the flip side, I also ran into a couple of bad apples in the operation; yep, there were a few people with rotten attitudes and horrible management skills. Thanks mom for reminding me those types are in every organization, whether public or private, and though they are always a challenge and disappointment, patience, positivity and faith are the keys to working with them. On the up side, bad apples do eventually get discovered and the bad parts are discarded. Karma is sweet.

Though the tasks required long days and we were navigating a course without a proven critical path, it was truly a blessing to serve our country during the oil spill response and to work with the more than 1,200 BP employees, Coast Guard, Army, Navy, Air Force, state and federal personnel in the Mobile Incident Command Post.

What I experienced in this response was proof that no matter the task at hand, Americans (and a few British folk) from all walks of life can come together to effectively manage a crisis when everyone lays down their ego to develop and work a plan…and to keep trudging along...even on days when we wanted to be wasted away in Margaretville and covered in a different kind of oil.