Insularity and oil spill response in Grand Isle

Abstract

Insularity–isolation from immigration compounded by physical and cultural barriers—can create obstacles to effective oil spill response. It results in miscommunication and misunderstanding that arise between the external organizations responding to the oil spill and the community. The community’s past disaster experience and its perception of external entities shape the understanding of outsiders involved in oil spill response. Locals perceive external organizations to be motivated by money and to lack expertise. Locals consider themselves to be self-reliant. Local knowledge tends to be excluded and information transfer is difficult. The strained relationship between the community and the interacting entities addressed as the effects of insularity needs to be improved with mediators and time investment.