In mid-April, a deepwater drilling platform in the Gulf of Mexico 50 miles off the coast of Louisiana capsized and sank following an explosion. After multiple attempts to cap the well head, oil continues to spill and drift to shore. Louisiana's marshes were affected first.2010 Gulf Oil Disaster
In mid-April, a deepwater drilling platform in the Gulf of Mexico 50 miles off the coast of Louisiana capsized and sank following an explosion. After multiple attempts to cap the well head, oil continues to spill and drift to shore. Louisiana's marshes were affected first.
In response to the first news of the oil spill, Four Gulf of Mexico (GOM) Sea Grant Programs (Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi-Alabama and Texas) launched the Sea Grant oil spill website. The site contains current developments; background information; volunteer opportunities; recovery; and other pertinent information.
A Unified Command was established immediately following the event to coordinate the response. A unified command links the organizations responding to an incident and provides a forum for those organizations to make consensus decisions. The following agencies and organizations are involved in the Deepwater Horizon Unified Command:
- BP
- NOAA
- U.S. Department of Defense
- USGS (U.S. Geological Survey)
- Transocean
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
- CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security
- National Park Service
- OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration)
- Minerals Management Service
- U.S. Department of the Interior
- Department of State
A Joint Information Center (JIC) maintains the Unified Command's official website.
