Gulf Residents Seeking for BP's Payments
Gulf Residents Seeking for BP's Payments
The reefs that David Walter makes for anglers to drop in to the Gulf of Mexico are fake, but his frustration as he tries to win compensation from BP for lost income is actual.
State regulators stopped issuing permits for the reefs on May 4 because of the oil spill, effectively killing off $350,000 in Walter's expected business. It sent him in to a labyrinth of archived invoices & documents lost by BP. Finally, an offer came: $5,000.
"I said that's not fair because in case you say that, then I must go out of business & I lose everything," said Walter, whose company is based in Alabama.
Fishermen, property owners & businesspeople who have filed damage claims with BP are angrily complaining of delays, excessive paperwork & skimpy payments that have put them on the verge of going under as the financial & environmental toll of the seven-week-old catastrophe grows.
Out in the Gulf, meanwhile, the oil company on Wednesday captured more of the crude that's been gushing from the bottom of the sea since April & began bringing in more heavy equipment to handle it.
The containment work played out as BP stock plunged to its lowest level in 14 years amid fears that the company might be forced to suspend dividends & find itself overwhelmed by the cleanup costs, penalties, damage claims & lawsuits generated by the largest oil spill in U.S. history.
Shrimpers, oystermen, seafood businesses, out-of-work drilling crews & the tourism industry all are lining up to get paid back the billions of dollars washed away by the slick, & tempers have flared as locals direct outrage at BP over what they see as a tangle of red tape.
"Every day they call the adjuster four or 10 times. There's no answer, no answering machine," said Regina Shipp, who has filed $33,000 in claims for lost business at her restaurant in Alabama. "If BP doesn't pay us within two months, we'll be out of business. We've got two children."
BP spokesman Mark Proegler disputed any notion that the claims technique is slow or that the company is dragging its feet.
Proegler said BP has cut the time to technique claims & issue a check from 45 days to as tiny as 48 hours, if the necessary documentation has been supplied. BP officials acknowledged that while no claims have been denied, thousands & thousands had not been paid by late last week because the company necessary more documentation.
At the bottom of the sea, the containment cap on the ruptured well is capturing 630,000 gallons a day & pumping it to a ship at the surface, & the amount could double by next week to roughly 1.17 million gallons, said Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, who is overseeing the crisis for the government.
A second vessel expected to arrive within days ought to greatly boost capacity. BP also designs to bring in a tanker from the North Sea to help transport oil & an incinerator to burn off a quantity of the crude.
The government has estimated 600,000 to 1.2 million gallons are leaking per day, but a scientist on a task force studying the flow said the actual rate may be between 798,000 gallons & 1.8 million. A task force member said an estimate come come Thursday or Friday.
Crews working at the site toiled under oppressive conditions as the heat index soared to 110 degrees & poisonous vapors emanated from the depths. Fireboats were on hand to pour water on the surface to ease the fumes.
Allen also confronted BP over the complaints about the claims technique, warning the company in a letter: "We need complete, ongoing transparency in to BP's claims technique including detailed information on how claims are being evaluated, how payment amounts are being calculated & how quickly claims are being processed."
The admiral this week created a team including officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help with the damage claims. It will send workers in to Gulf communities to provide information about the technique. He also planned to discuss the complaints with BP officials Wednesday.
Under federal law, BP is necessary to pay for a range of losses, including property damage & lost earnings. Residents & businesses can call a phone line to document losses, file a claim online & seek help at one of 25 claims offices around the Gulf. Deckhands & other fishermen usually need to show a picture ID & documentation such as a pay stub showing how much funds they usually earn.
To jump-start the technique, BP was initially offering an immediate $2,500 to deckhands & $5,000 to fishing boat owners. Workers can receive additional compensation two times their paperwork & bigger claims are approved. BP said it's paid 18,000 claims so far & has hired 600 adjusters & operators to handle the cases.
The oil giant said it expects to spend $84 million through June alone to compensate people for lost wages & profits. That number will grow as new claims are received. When it is all over, BP could be taking a look at total liabilities in the billions, perhaps tens of billions, according to analysts.
BP stock dropped $5.45, or 16 percent, Wednesday basically its worst day since the April 20 rig explosion that set off the spill & killed 11 workers. In the six weeks since then, the company has lost half its market value.
The latest slide came after Interior Secretary Ken Salazar promised a Senate energy panel to ask BP to compensate energy companies for losses in the event that they must lay off workers or suffer economically because of the Obama administration's six-month moratorium on deep-water drilling.
Not everyone had complaints about the claims technique.
Bart Harrison of Clay, Ala., filed his first claim on Wednesday morning for lost rental income on his coastal property & expected to have a check for $1,010 within a few hours. The only documentation necessary was tax returns & rental histories for his units, which were both simple to provide.
"The man I talked to was knowledgeable & respectful," Harrison said. "It appeared like he desired to write a check & me since it was my first time in."
For more information please visit:http://usnewsblog.info Things to Consider Before You Buy Slap Chop Cycle Racks Direct: Buy now Business Insurance - Still Thinking, Buy it and forget the Unfortunate Events How Should You Buy the Euro Millions Ticket? How To Buy Land In Southern Oklahoma Faxless Payday Advance: Forget the hassles of faxing now! Bir büyük Fırsat, Amerika da Dil Eğitimi (Amerikada Dil Eğitimi) What's Wrong with a Paycheck Advance? Paying Attention to the Details of Your Lease Shop Sarees in UK - Sarees in UK - Buy Sarees From UK How To Find The Right Payment Gateway Now LIC offer premium payment option at OSS Retail outlets Should You Buy A Fixer-Upper?