The Exxon and BP oil spills: a comparison of psychosocial impacts

Duane Gill (), Liesel Ritchie, J. Picou, Jennifer Langhinrichsen-Rohling, Michael Long and Jessica Shenesey

Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, 2014, vol. 74, issue 3, 1932 pages

Abstract: We address the research question: ‘Did the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill have similar psychosocial impacts as the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill?’ We answer this question by comparing survey results from a random sample of Cordova, Alaska, residents collected 18 months after the Exxon spill with a random sample of residents in the Alabama coastal counties of Baldwin and south Mobile 1 year after the BP disaster. Analysis revealed similarly high levels of psychological stress for survivors of both disasters. For residents of coastal Alabama, the strongest predictors of psychosocial stress were exposure to oil, ties to renewable resources, concerns about their economic future, worries about air quality, and safety issues regarding seafood harvests in oiled areas. Differences between south Mobile and Baldwin counties were related to the former community’s economic ties to renewable resources and Baldwin County’s dependence on tourism for economic sustainability. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014

Keywords: Technological disaster; Oil spill; Psychosocial stress; BP disaster; Exxon Valdez oil spill (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (11)

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DOI: 10.1007/s11069-014-1280-7

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