Declarations

Interlinked Failures

“A complex and interlinked series of mechanical failures, human judgments, engineering design, operational implementation and team interfaces came together to allow the initiation and escalation of the accident.”

—A report issued by BP Plc failed to identify any single action or inaction that caused the Deepwater Horizon rig to blow up on April 20, killing 11 workers, after the Macondo well ruptured. BP accepted some responsibility for the disaster but also pointed the finger at what it said were major failures by Transocean Ltd., the operator of the ill-fated Deepwater Horizon oil rig, and oil services company Halliburton, which cemented the deep-sea well.

Aging Volunteers

“The older ones are getting to where they can’t any more, and younger people aren’t volunteering.”

—Chief Roger Osborne of the Booneville Rural Fire Department in Logan County, Ark. Rural fire chiefs in Arkansas said it is difficult to recruit younger members to be part of rural fire departments. Osborne said the average age of his crew – about 20 firefighters – is around 48. The time commitment and lack of financial incentives are part of the problem, the fire chiefs said.

Dead Flowers

The fire was caused by self-heating through decomposition of organic materials contained within a plastic flowerpot.”

—State Farm Insurance Co., in a report to a northeast Arkansas homeowner, said the fire that caused $20,000 in damages to the insured’s home was caused by dead plants in a flowerpot spontaneously igniting. The homeowner, Brian Duncan, said the flowerpot had contained dead, decomposing flowers and potting soil that his wife had planted. She had intended to re-pot them but instead they sat on the porch, unwatered, and eventually died. Duncan said it was clear where the July 25 fire had begun, because the burning flowerpot and plants charred a hole in the porch and fell to the ground several feet below.

Floating Refrigerators

“Did you ever see a refrigerator floating around your kitchen before?”

—Arlington, Texas, resident George Lowe and his wife, Laura, were surprised by how quickly and badly their neighborhood flooded when the remnants of Tropical Storm Hermine swept through Texas and into Oklahoma on September 8. Hermine, which hit Northeastern Mexico on September 7, quickly crossed the border into Texas and headed north, retaining its tropical storm strength far longer than expected. It forced more than 100 high-water rescues, swamped city neighborhoods, and spawned tornadoes as it marched through the state. In Arlington, about 22 miles west of Dallas, water reached up to 5 feet high in some homes. Because Hermine packed a relatively light punch upon landfall, many in Texas were unprepared for the sudden flooding.