Fourteen Years Later

Restore Grand Isle -A story in pictures and videos

On April 20, 2010 The Deepwater Horizon Oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana and killed 11 oil rig workers.

Over 87 days, 205.8 million gallons of oil 225,000 tons of methane, and 1.84 million gallons of chemical dispersants spilled into the Gulf of Mexico. The oil fouled 1,300 miles of shoreline along five states.

This was the largest oil spill in U.S. history.

I remember the explosion and also watching these images of oil gushing from deep within the Earth into the ocean

Do you remember this image? Oil spewed non-stop for almost three months.

From this disaster came a block buster Hollywood movie, several excellent books, and now my debut novel, The Pelican Tide. I try to have a lot of fun with this newsletter, but on this grimmest of anniversaries, I want to pay respect to the tragedy of lost life, and the lingering environmental and social effects of this spill.

This photo below shows the reddish brown oil washing onto delicate marsh land. The oil kills at the microscope level and all through the food chain. One of the lingering problems coastlines are experiencing today is loss of land mass. The oil killed important coastal plants that prevent erosion. Without strong roots, nothing stops the force of the ocean from dissolving the land like a sand castle.

This image below shows how the oil spill eroded the coastline and how it has been further weakened by powerful Gulf storms.

I’m Really Sad

I didn’t write The Pelican Tide out of sadness. I imagined the story after asking myself. What happened to the people?

I’ve Met The People

In 2021 as I was finishing The Pelican Tide, Hurricane Ida hit the island. It damaged each of the island’s 2500 structures and destroyed 700 of them. The island lost power, water, and all services.

Grand Isle is a special place. When I saw that a Restore Grand Isle project had started, I reached out and met Ronnie Sampey, director of the program. The islanders are replanting native plants, including land-preserving oak trees. They are helping the community to rebuild and encouraging people to return. The challenge now as Ronnie tells me is fighting through government red tape for assistance. Residents are facing an uphill battle for permitting and building code requirements, and then they are faced with not surprisingly sky high insurance costs. “We need our people to return to the island.”

What Now?

It’s logical to ask if any town should rebuild. In the face of a climate emergency, is it wise to spend money and risk human life? This is a question also being asked in North Carolina’s Outer Banks. The shoreline of Rodanthe has suffered staggering loss.

Jean Landry, a Grand Isle resident and manager of the Nature Conservancy told me, “People ask why we are rebuilding and I say the same thing. This is my home.”

Barrier islands serve a vital function for our ecosystem. Islands provide important habitats for migrating birds and around the globe host one of a kind species. For the human species, barrier islands slow down storms as they lose their force when they cross over land. Without barrier islands, hurricanes would hit coastal areas even harder than they do now. As our seas warm, hurricanes increase in frequency and intensity, barrier islands are even more important. And they are more vulnerable. Human efforts to replant vegetation and restore lost shoreline may seem futile, but if it were your home wouldn’t you?

The Outer Banks is where the Wright Brothers took their first flight. Grand Isle too has a long history. One of the latest Restore Grand Isle projects is to save their historic Oleander Hotel.

When I learned about this property I had a feeling of deja vu. Odeal’s, the restaurant I write about in The Pelican Tide is similar place. A community center and the heart of my fictional version of Grand Isle.

I encourage you to learn more about Grand Isle and the Restore Grand Isle non-profit. This town may not be your home or even in your state. But these amazing people are like your neighbors, your friends, and your family. Their story is our story. These are the people I wanted to know when I asked, what happened to the people.

Louisiana’s barrier islands are disappearing. But not without a fight!

I’m fighting for it. As I begin my promotion for The Pelican Tide, I will be talking to anyone who will listen. If you know anyone who I can reach to on behalf of my friends at Restore Grand Isle, please let me know.

Thanks for reading. I’ll be back with my regular sense of research silliness in two weeks.

51 Days and Counting

My novel arrives in 51 days! Yes I’m counting. You can pre-order it at a special discount of $12.49. It’s currently $3.99 on Kindle or free on Kindle Unlimited and free on Audible is you have a subscription. More on the audio narrators coming soon!