ABSTRACT
This chapter presents two case studies of man-made disasters, namely Exxon Valdez in Alaska and Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster in Texas. It presents two stages for each case study and explains key issues raised by each case study. The Exxon Valdez disaster has caused the tanker to release 42 million liters of oil into Prince William Sound, which harbors many different types of animals and aquatic life. Unfortunately, there is very little that local administrators can do in a situation where it appears that industry safety standards were less than ideal. However, administrators can mitigate foreseeable ecological disasters by working closely with government agencies that have jurisdiction over shipping and conduct spot checks on the sobriety of the crew on ships that are carrying potentially dangerous cargo. City managers and public administrators should have a plan to call up reserves of manpower to support first responders when an incident of Columbia Disaster occurs.
