On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig located approximately 41 miles off the coast of Louisiana exploded. This event was not only an environmental catastrophe along the gulf coast, it was a tragedy for the 126 crew members and families of those crewmen. Eleven men lost their lives the night of the explosion and 18 were injured. All but one of the men who died had children.
Santa Rosa County created a memorial story map to honor those who lost their lives ten years ago and express heartfelt condolences to their families. The story map also summarizes the local impact of this disaster, highlights the most significant recovery activity - the signing of the RESTORE Act (2012) which allocates funding from fines collected to projects benefitting gulf coast ecological resources and economy, details milestones in a recovery timeline, and provides and an interactive map of projects.
For more information, contact Naisy Dolar, grants and RESTORE program manager, 850-981-2019, or subscribe to receive updates about the ongoing and planned RESTORE projects in Santa Rosa County.