Document Type
Article
Source Publication Title
Society and Natural Resources
DOI
http://doi.org/10.1080/08941920.2019.1709002
Abstract
This study investigates long-term appraisals of community recovery after a major environmental disaster. Specifically, we conducted a survey of 351 individuals living in coastal counties in Alabama and Florida on the five-year anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Using mixed methods that combined content analysis and ordinary least squares regression, we find that residents who believe they live in a community where neighbors help each other are more likely to see their communities as recovering. Conversely, reporting major effects from environmental problems, like lost fishing income, reduces perceptions of community recovery. Five years after the oil spill a majority of respondents saw little economic recovery and almost half perceived low environmental recovery. This reflects the importance of the environment to the long-term health and success of areas dependent on natural resources. It also suggests the need for directing funding toward community-level programs and preserving shared natural resources post-disaster. [This is a published version of an article published by International Association for Society and Natural Resources/ Routledge in Society and Natural Resources on 2020 Jan., available online: https://doi.org/10.1080/08941920.2019.1709002.]
Disciplines
Anthropology | Social and Behavioral Sciences | Sociology
Publication Date
1-1-2020
Language
English
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Kelly Bergstrand & Brian Mayer (2020): “The Community Helped Me:” Community Cohesion and Environmental Concerns in Personal Assessments of Post-Disaster Recovery, Society & Natural Resources, DOI: 10.1080/08941920.2019.1709002