This week, we bring you two stories from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010, one from a native Louisianian scientist and the other from a fourth-generation Louisiana fisherman. 

Part 1: Louisianan scientist Estelle Robichaux struggles to deal with the massive oil spill affecting her state while also balancing personal problems.

Part 2:  When Lousiana fisherman Robert Campo receives news of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, he knows his life is about to change.

Estelle Robichaux, a native Louisianian, is a senior restoration project analyst at Environmental Defense Fund. A broadly-trained scientist with a passion for wetlands conservation and restoration, Estelle has a background in natural and social sciences as well as extensive experience in science education. Her field and research background spans wetlands, marine environments and wildlife, from Costa Rica to South Africa to South Caicos. Estelle advocates for the implementation of science-based restoration projects and leads project-related efforts for Restore the Mississippi River Delta. Estelle also works on science communication and tracking the development of scientific and research programs in the wake of the Gulf oil disaster.

Robert Campo is the owner of Campo's Marina located in Shell Beach, Louisiana.  He's a fourth generation commercial fisherman and the great-grandson of the late Celestino Campo, the founder of Campo's Marina started in 1903.  He's the grandson of the late Frank Blackie Campo (a true legend) and the son of Frank J. Campo Jr.  Campo's Marina is the oldest family-owned business in St.Bernard parish and it's one of the top ten oldest family owned businesses that still exists today in Louisiana.  He owns and operates his oyster business with two oyster boats and a farm of nearly 1500 acres of oyster grounds.

Oil: Stories from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill

I spoke with Vincent B. Davis, Founder of Preparedness Matters Consulting and serves as Director of Disaster Services for Feeding America. Prior to joining Feeding America in January 2020, he served as workplace resiliency manager at Amazon, where he developed disaster frameworks to support the company’s 175 corporate offices. Before joining Amazon, Vince was senior preparedness manager for Sony PlayStation in San Diego, and manager of preparedness and response at Walgreens Co., where he developed disaster programs for their 8,600 U.S. stores and distribution facilities. Following a distinguished 23-year career in the U.S. Air Force and Illinois National Guard, Vince served as external affairs and community relations officer at FEMA, managing field teams for 11 Presidential disasters including the Utica Illinois Tornado, and Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne. After leaving FEMA Vince served as regional preparedness manager for the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago, where he led research and development of the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning Go To 2040 Report on Emergency Preparedness, a 30-year planning effort to improve community disaster resilience. Vince was principal developer of the FEMA Regional Catastrophic Incident Coordination Plan for Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin, a plan for mass care of a million residents of the Chicagoland region.
Vince is a Certified Emergency Manager (CEM), conferred by the International Association of Emergency Managers. In 2019, he completed the FEMA National Emergency Management Advanced Academy (NEMAA) for senior leaders, becoming one of the first group of 473 emergency managers nationally to graduate from the program. A passionate advocate for disaster literacy and underserved community preparedness, Vince has authored three books, Lost and Turned Out, A Guide to Preparing Underserved Communities for Disasters (Amazon 2012), and The Native Family Disaster Preparedness Handbook (Heritage Publishing 2017), and the Emergency Guidebook for Broadcasters Serving Indian Country in collaboration with Native Public Media. He has worked with numerous organizations as a consultant, mentor, and contributor to improve outcomes for underserved populations in disasters worldwide.
Vince is a lifetime member of the Black Emergency Managers Association International (BEMA), an Advisory Board Member for the Institute for Diversity and Inclusion in Emergency Management (I-DIEM), Honorary Chair for the International Council for Women’s Leadership in Emergency Management and Business Continuity (ICWL), and Advisory Board member for the Homeland Security Center of Excellence, Piece College, Washington.

We spoke about his recent open letter to the nominated Administrator for FEMA, Deanne Criswell (current Commissioner of NYC's Emergency Management Department) about the need for equity, diversity, and inclusion, how to meaningfully engage communities of color and marginalized communities in emergency preparedness and management, why we need to focus on community preparedness, and how we might address issues with the inequities wrought by the COVID-19 response.

Mr. Davis’ open letter to nominated Deanne Criswell:
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/vbdavis_an-open-letter-to-fema-administrator-deanne-activity-6757299215191408640-Ikdc
Citations on health inequities:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK425845/
Chart of hierarchy of systemic areas to address:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK425845/bin/img-130.jpg
Original research with the data
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/12/4322
Why I Became An Anti-Disaster Kit Advocate
http://www.preparednessmatters.net/blog/why-i-became-an-anti-disaster-kit-advocate

E16 - Preparedness Matters with Vincent Davis

Emergency management is a growing discipline as our world has become increasingly more complex, interconnected, and vulnerable to hazards both natural and human caused. The role of the emergency manager, including leaders in public safety, has expanded and become more vital to cities, counties, states, and large organizations, and much of this work can be contained and effectively managed within projects, be they longer term plans,  disaster recovery, mitigation measures or short-term emergency responses to a disaster. This podcast series focuses on project management topics for emergency managers. Come with us as we ride the wave!

E16 - Preparedness Matters with Vincent Davis

Andrew Boyarsky

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