Student ventures to Gulf Coast with video camera

Ben Fetterman planned to document his experience as a volunteer cleaning up oil along the Gulf shores.

Little did he expect he would be entering the world of investigative journalism and documenting the financial well-being of people whose lives depend on the Gulf shores.

When BP's Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded April 20, killing 11 men and releasing more than 200 million of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, Fetterman was at an accounting firm doing taxes.

"I was sitting in my cubicle, and I couldn't sit there anymore," the University of Pittsburgh senior said in a telephone interview.

Fetterman had reasons he couldn't sit and wait for news to come to him. "The Gulf shore is home to me," he said. Fetterman's grandparents, who are originally from Philadelphia, bought land in Fort Morgan, Ala., 40 years ago so the family could meet every summer.

"As long as I have been on this planet, I have never missed a summer down there," Fetterman said.

This year was a different story. Every summer his family had a two-week reunion, but this year, no one showed up because of the spill. "It was personally upsetting to my family and me," Fetterman said.

Second, he wanted to fully grasp what happened in the Gulf.

"I was in high school when Hurricane Katrina hit, and it changed my opinion on the world and government," he said.

He didn't want history to repeat itself.

"The response was slow," Fetterman said. "There was lying and indecisiveness."

What troubled him the most was if "dirt would be brushed under the carpet." This motivated him to see the situation for himself. Fetterman was concerned over the lack of coverage and aid to the South.

"Less value is put on the South because it's not a big city or economically enticing like New York," Fetterman said. "When a disaster happens, it's easier to brush off."

On July 27, 12 days after the well was capped, Fetterman journeyed back to Fort Morgan. He trekked through the Gulf Coast in his step-grandfather's car and a digital video camera. His initial plan was to record his experience as a volunteer cleaning animals and beaches, but he found out most volunteers had to be from the state.

As a finance major, Fetterman switched his focus to the economic problems facing locals of the Gulf Coast. Fetterman documented his findings at his blog, http://savingthegulfcoast.blogspot.com, and planned to make a documentary with his video.

"One thing you have to understand about these beach towns is they rely on their summers to get them through the year," he said.

Fetterman said unlike Hurricane Katrina, the Gulf does not have outlets for people to donate because it's not a natural disaster.

"BP says they can handle it."

Fetterman said to understand the pulse of the situation, he was going to have to get a sense of what the average person was going through environmentally.

"It forced me to not go where I was told and gave me a chance to explore," he said. He went out to compare closed beaches with open beaches.

"I was kicked out of one of the ports on Fort Morgan that were closed to the public," he said. The little opportunity he had to look at the beach, he saw no visible signs of oil.

Fetterman said the problem is no one understands what they are dealing with because all the oil sank to the bottom of the ocean. He said real estate agents are renting beach homes saying the water is safe, and families are taking their kids in the water and going crabbing at night. They are unaware if the water is affecting them.

"What are Realtors going to do three to five years from now when the families put two and two together and realize they are sick from the water?" he said.

Fetterman said around Aug. 15-20 in Gulfport, Miss., hotel owners on a Skype interview said the beaches were safe and fine. Fishermen are not so confident.

Fetterman said they need reassurance that the water is safe to start fishing again because they do not want to have a reputation for selling a bad product.

"They know one thing and that's shrimping," Fetterman said. "They need hard data to prove everything is OK."

Fetterman said this is the largest oil spill in U.S. history, but the beaches don't give it away. He said it is unfortunate but people will realize how much oil was released when another hurricane hits and the oil at the bottom rises and washes up on beaches.

Through a series of interviews, Fetterman discovered business and real estate were at an all-time low.

"July Fourth is supposed to be the biggest holiday weekend," Fetterman said. "This July Fourth, out of 100 rented houses only four had tenants."

Fetterman said 60 percent to 80 percent of businesses survive the winter on July Fourth earnings. Even family restaurants 10 miles from the Gulf shore are doing poorly. Fetterman said business is down 55 percent to 60 percent.

"It hits further than coastal communities," Fetterman said. "Because of their proximity from the beach, they cannot receive a claim."

In the beginning of his trip, Fetterman met with 10 businesses along the Gulf shores. When he visited them before his trip ended, six of the businesses were closed.

"There are real financial consequences," Fetterman said. "This summer was supposed to be the summer businesses get back the money they lost from Hurricanes Katrina and Ike."

He does not have a release date for his documentary because he wants to gather more information. Fetterman said 60 percent to 80 percent of businesses survive the winter on July Fourth earnings. Even family restaurants 10 miles from the Gulf shore are doing poorly. Fetterman said business is down 55 percent to 60 percent.

"It hits further than coastal communities," Fetterman said. "Because of their proximity from the beach, they cannot receive a claim."