This article is the third in a series of four.

Eleven people missing and presumed dead. A 210,000 gallon-a-day oil leak now caught up in the Gulf of Mexico’s Loop Current. A fishing ban issued that extends 46,000 square miles. On June 11, 2010, the equivalent of the Exxon Valdez oil spill, 11,000,000 gallons, will have been released into the Gulf of Mexico. One month after what will become this country’s worst manmade disaster, the slick goes on and who’s in charge?

The finger pointing exercises started at the nation’s Capitol during committee hearings and continues at every level of federal, state, and local government. Meanwhile, clean up efforts resemble trying to get a drink of water from a fire hose.

A large dome was lowered to the sea floor to capture the oil. While that method has been successful in shallow waters, it had never been attempted in 5,000 feet of water. Robot submarines attempted to close off the flow of oil by activating a shutoff device at the well head known as a blowout preventer. The robotic activity was not successful neither was the blowout preventer. More attempts were made to replace the blowout preventer. Learning from one failed attempt, positioning another dome over the well head but injecting heated water or methanol to prevent crystals from forming as was the case on the first dome.

Another deepwater rig is being moved toward the explosion site to drill relief wells if needed but this process would take several months and is not an easy process. A similar well blowout in Australia where a relief well was drilled took 4 months to intersect the previous well and pump down enough mud to shut off the flow.

Controlled burns to remove oil from open waters are dependent upon weather. High winds, the threat of hail and tornadoes, and possible hurricanes add a wild card dimension to cleanup efforts. Then one should throw in ocean currents. The oil spill ribbons have been captured by the Loop Current, a fast river of water that circulates from the Caribbean Sea into the Gulf of Mexico and around the tip of Florida. The speed of this current which can reach several miles per hour can carry part of the oil more swiftly than the currents elsewhere in the Gulf. Oil in the loop could endanger the Florida Keys, the west coast of Florida, Cuba, and the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. It is possible that the oil could be carried through the Florida Straits and perhaps northward to part of the Atlantic Seaboard.

Cleanup workers’ safety has not been addressed. One month after the Valdez disaster, a team of public health experts identified the potential health hazards of cleanup workers. Acute actions/reactions include skin contact and inhalation of crude oil or its vapors that can cause dizziness, nausea and skin rashes. Chronic actions/reactions include kidney and nervous system damage, and some cancers (For more information click here).

The question keeps being asked, who is in charge, while everyone’s patience is running thin along the coastal areas of the Gulf of Mexico? Families who make a living from tourism and harvesting fish, shrimp, and oysters from the coastal regions of the Gulf are already experiencing financial hardships which can turn into financial ruin in a matter of another month. For daily updates on the oil leak go to NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration.