BP aims to clean up coast with claims

MOBILE, Ala. –– Beach-goers relax and play along the shore, oblivious to BP oil cleanup crews a few feet away.

For those who vacation and live along the Gulf Coast, this is the new reality.

Bikini-clad women sunbathe while their children fill sand pails in the same shallows where workers are searching for oil.

Workers in bright orange vests and protective clothing, gloves and booties over their boots shovel tar balls onto a tarp. From there, their findings move to a staging area to be carted off to a nearby landfill.

BP gas stations still line U.S. Highway 90, yards from shores polluted by the company's crude after an oil rig explosion April 20.

The Deepwater Horizon explosion killed 11 men and spewed some 200 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico for nearly three months.

The oil company's presence continues in areas along the coast with community outreach centers in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.

In those same states, BP claim centers litter the coastline, providing assistance to those whose livelihoods — dependent on tourism and seafood — were damaged because the spill kept tourists away and closed fishing areas. Fears of contamination all but halted the seafood trade.

On Aug. 18, the claim center in Mobile, 325 E. Interstate 65 Service Road South, buzzes with business owners, condo-owners and fishermen looking for assistance with submitting documentation for their claims.

A police officer facing the front door provides security while several adjusters assist people sitting at rows of computers.

Adjusters Dave Scott and Sean Porter help residents organize their paperwork to submit to BP.

They said the first step in the reimbursement process is to call 800-916-4893 to set up the claim. The service center helps locals seeking reimbursement only after a claim has been placed.

Porter said some of the most common claims in his location are from the fishery industry, condo owners and residents who lost wages this summer.

Rental property owners who bring in revenue from tourists and vacationers experienced a loss for the summer.

For fishermen, closed fishing areas and customers who fear contaminated seafood from the Gulf Coast hurt their businesses.

Even food service employees walked through the doors, claiming lost wages because business is slow and workers were scheduled for fewer hours.

Restaurant managers from Louisiana to Florida reserved less-than-friendly remarks not only for BP, but for the national media's coverage of the spill that kept tourists away.

"We just try to get the people back to where they were," Porter said.

The oil company's website says they will be paying all legitimate claims for damages resulting from the incident.

According to an Aug. 23 press release, BP has paid $399 million since May 3, when it paid its first claim.

BP received about 166,000 calls, had 154,000 claims filed and wrote 127,000 checks within that 16-week period.

On Aug. 23, BP transitioned its individual and business claims program to the Gulf Coast Claims Facility.

As of Sept. 16, BP had disbursed about $1.6 billion in payments and approval for payments.

Individuals or businesses can submit a claim for removal and cleanup costs, damage to real or personal property, loss of earnings or profits, loss of subsistence use of natural resources or physical injury or death.

In addition to writing checks for those affected by the Gulf Coast oil spill, BP plans to conduct research during the next 10 years.

According to BP's website, the company is pledging the $500 million commitment to create a broad, independent research program called the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative.

The research project will investigate the impact of the oil, dispersed oil and dispersant on the ecosystems of the Gulf of Mexico and affected coastal states.

For more information on BP claims, go to www.bp.com.