Grand Isle, LA

On June 12, 2010, while on a trip to New Orleans, LA, I made the two-hour drive to Grand Isle to see the impact of the current Deepwater Horizon crisis on the shores of Louisiana. It was a long drive down route 1, though there wasn’t much traffic. The road was more often dotted with military vehicles than any other, as the tourist that would otherwise be visiting during this time of year were missing. As we approached the Grand Isle area, images of industry became apparent with the large metal arms of cranes reaching toward the sky and large ships visible across Bayou Cochon. It was along Route 1 that the anger of local residents became apparent. Signs expressing frustration and anger, not only towards BP but also the Government and President Obama specifically, appeared along the roadside.

Crossing the bridge onto Grand Isle, boom could easily be seen from the road. It appeared to be poorly maintained, portions of it doubling back on itself, and there were no ships tending to it, attempting to keep the boom in place. Continuing down Route 1 and across the island, signs expression frustration and indication of a military presence became more frequent. The shore itself was not visible from the road. The beach on the southern shore of Grand Isle lies behind a grassy knoll, where “Beach Closed” signs were notably displayed along its crown. Finding a place to park, we ventured past the buildings, over the knoll, and onto the beach.

An ominous scene was set with very few people near our location on the beach, a military vehicle a few hundred yards in the distance and an ATV was making its way toward us. The ATV continued past us without acknowledgment and we continued toward the shore. We found ourselves separated from the water by a three-foot wall of sand and orange boom, which both ran the length of the beach in either direction. On the far side of the boom, piles of sand mixed with balls of tar and oil soaked debris had been placed every few hundred feet down the shore. More evidence of the oil that continues to flow from the Deepwater Horizon drilling well had already collected near the water’s edge.

Returning to the car, we continued down Route 1 to the end of Grand Isle and paid the $1 fee to enter the Grand Isle State Park. While driving entrances to the beach were closed, we were able to walk down a wooden walkway towards a structure, which overlooks the beach. This is where workers were currently collecting tar balls and oil soaked trash into plastic bags. Sand sifting machines parked to their left and oilrigs in the distance, these were the individuals tasked with returning the beach of Grand Isle to its former greatness for BP to publicize in the future. The workers didn’t stop others from walking around the beach, but wouldn’t allow anyone to cross the boom nor would they talk with anyone asking questions.

BP has received criticism overtime about blocking the press’s ability to report what is happening on the ground in places like Grand Isle and across the southern states where the oil has hit land. Given the anger of local residence, the visual impact of oil stained beaches, and the desire for information, what benefit does BP find in preventing the press from covering portions of this crisis? How far can BP work towards message control before they are interpreted as obstructionist or deceptive? How has the communication from BP about the Deepwater Horizon crisis differed from the communication from Pemex during the Ixtoc I crisis? What lessons were learned and what lessons remain to be learned?