Filing your GCCF Claims Right

A lot of people were affected by this incident and in fact, the whole world tuned in to see the events unfold and make sure that progress was made to clean up the mess made by the oil spill and take care of those that were affected by it. Those who were unfortunate enough to have been affected by the Gulf of Mexico oil spill and incurred damages may be eligible for GccF claims.

Personal and business GCCF Claims

The GccF is an independent claims facility for submission and resolution of claims of individuals and businesses for costs and damages incurred as a result of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill (also known as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill). GccF claims are being administered by an independent, neutral fund administrator that goes by the name of Kenneth R. Feinberg. Feinberg is known as the Claims Administrator and is responsible for the administration and processing of all claims by the GccF. He was chosen by US President Barack Obama because of his experience in directing victim compensation funds after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

GCCF Claims Are paid by BP but not controlled by them

It’s important to note that the GccF is not controlled or directed by the BP in any way. Although BP is the source of the funds for the GccF, including fees and expenses for the Claims Administrator, they have no input on the decision being made regarding claims as it is a responsibility that rests solely on the shoulders of the Claims Administrator Feinberg.

As of September 2010, about 1,000 GccF claims are being reviewed per day by 25 people working in Washington, D.C. The Claims Administrator has expressed interest in speeding up the review of the claims process but admits that the reason for the apparently slow rate was that they prefer to go through each claim with care and not make any rash decisions.

The GccF has a web site located at www.gulfcoastclaimsfacility.com where one can check on the status of his or her claim, as well as look up information on how to file GccF claims either by using an online form, through mail, fax, or by filing the claim in person. It also offers directions to a GccF site office, complete with relevant addresses and directional maps.

If you where coming to Destin Florida for your wedding that was planned but had to scrap it because of the oil on the beaches you are entitled to file an individual BP claim. If you had a rental house reserved all year in Pensacola beach but had to c

ancel because of the oil on the beaches, you lost of deposit would be something you could use as an individual Bp claim. You don’t have to live on the coast to have had a lost from the oil spill here.

A lost vacation is reason for a Individual BP Claim

Individuals that has been damages by the BP Oil Spill can submit a BP Claim to the Gulf Coast Claim Facility (GCCF). The claim can be submitted for the following cost or lost

Individual BP Claim

1. Oil Removal cost

2. Oil Clean Up Cost

3. Damage to real property (house, , car, boat)

4.Damage to personal property

5. Lost of earnings

6. Use of Natural Resources

7.Physical Injury or Death.

Remember this with your Individual BP Claim

You do not waive or release any legal rights by filing a claim for Emergency Advance Payments with the GCCF. If you apply for Final Payment and the GCCF finds that you are eligible for Final Payment then you will be required to sign a Release to receive a Final Payment.

There are several emotional stages in human life when people come to know that death is coming nearer. All these emotional stages are now being experienced by the people affected with Gulf oil spill.

BP Claim Here is what you need!

The first and foremost emotional stage is Denial. When the greatest oil spill disaster happened, they did not believe that it would be so devastating and claim their lives. BP has admitted that it was the mistake of the internal staff and the company is liable for all the aftermath consequences.

People believed that they would be compensated at the earliest. However, it did not happen that way. Now, people started understanding that BP claim is not an easy task. There are several procedures and guide lines to follow to receive your compensation.

Forget Anger Get your BP Claim paper work in order

Second emotional stage is Anger. The greatest oil spill in world history devastated the lives of thousands of people. Majority of people lost their livelihood and are waiting for the clean up process and compensation plans. However, as time went by, anger crept in resulting in frustration.

The third emotional stage is Bargain. After waiting for a long time without a livelihood, people needed compensation very badly. This was the time when people started bargaining with BP claim. It was a good time for the company as they started making quick settlements with a fewer amount.

The fourth emotional stage is Depression. Depression will affect your thoughts, actions, moods and over all health. When there was a great tumult due to the oil slick, people were depressed. Many people died due to unhygienic conditions. More people were diseased due to the contaminated air and water. Sea life was poisoned and food cycle was completely out of balance.

When people came to know that they are going to die soon, they were very much depressed. Young people even suffered a lot because they thought it was not right for their lives to come to an end at such a younger stage. They wanted to enjoy life, taste all the goodness of marriage and family and then die. However, due to depression, people even committed suicide.

Don’t Accept a No on your BP Claim

The last stage of human emotions is Acceptance. When people cannot fight against anything, they accept the defeat. When the gulf of oil spill occurred, people were denied of their livelihood. They were angry, frustrated and depressed. They fought against the company and the government for compensation. When it did not happen the way they expected, people accepted the defeat and became content with what they got.

Recently, the company has started taking necessary action to resolve this crisis. The government has made the company liable for the consequences and asked for compensation. BP has setup a separate fund to compensate the losses occurred due to the greatest oil spill.

However, when we look at the enormous quantities of BP claim applications, the compensation steps the company is undertaking is not up to the mark. If BP came forward with disaster relief steps earlier, it would have been much better. However, at least now, people affected with BP oil spill have something to feel happy about if they get a compensation from the BP claim fund. Don’t stop trying to get your BP claim

Oil Spill Industries Affected shrimping

On 29th April, 2010, The Governor of Louisiana announced a state of emergency. The meteorological department announced that the catastrophic oil spill would be approaching the shore line. Environmental agencies, along with BP rescue team, tried their level best to contain the oil within the sea and not reach the shore. However, oil was spreading at a great speed due to the winds and currents.

One of the major industries in Louisiana which took the greatest hit from this disaster is Shrimping community. Shrimping refers to harvesting shrimp or prawn. Louisiana is famous for shrimping industry. This tradition is not a new one and points back to 1800s. Mostly, white and brown shrimp is available in this area.

As water is contaminated, food source of this shrimp is also poisoned and affected their health and reproduction. Unlike blue crab, male shrimp has to continuously produce sperm which can get intoxicated with oil spill food consumed by them. Due to these conditions, emergency was declared so that shrimpers can gather some shrimp which can sustain them for some time.

Oil Spill Industries Affected oyster farmers

Another industry affected badly with the oil spill is oyster farmers. Around 5000 of jobs in Louisiana are involved with oyster farming. Shrimping and oyster farming go hand in hand as both involve farming through marine culture. With this oil spill disaster, big oyster companies have shut their doors. Gulf of Mexico waters produce 67% of the nation’s oysters and this is a big blow for the oyster farmers. This applies to all other businesses related to fishing.

Oil Spill Industries Affected Tourism

Tourism industry in Louisiana got a worst hit due to the gulf oil spill. Tourism industry comprises of a wide array of network involving travel agencies, hotels, restaurants, bookings and travel guides. Boating or beach front businesses are unlikely to continue now which incurs huge losses to the tourism industry. Boat operators are discouraged to continue their business as people are not interested to enter into contaminated waters.

Beach front businesses like real estate and property owners have to shift their businesses till the clean up process is completed. This can continue for at least one year to come. This might also affect the near by cities on the long run.

Majority of restaurants in Louisiana serve sea food. As the sea water is filled with oil, people are reluctant to order sea food. This is a big blow to hotel industry as they have to search for alternate menus. After the great oil slick, people look at oil workers as their greatest enemies. However, oil industry has also suffered a great set back. Workers in this industry lost their livelihood as new rigging is stopped for time being.

All the industries mentioned above are only a few among various other industries listed in the oil spill affected pool. On the long run, many more industries might suffer from this oil slick. It is the responsibility of every nation to protect the environment for a better tomorrow.Oil Spill Industries Affected will soon come to light

Oil Claim

The Federal Government has named BP responsible for the damage and liable for all aftermath consequences. BP has admitted that it was their internal mistake which led to the explosion. The company agreed to compensate for all the losses incurred and setup a separate fund of $20 billion.

Attorney Kenneth Feinberg is appointed as the administrator for this escrow fund. BP announced that it will compensate for all legitimate claims. Now the question here is ‘what is a legitimate oil claim?’ BP officials are not answering this question directly.

Oil claim Legitimate claim

Affected people are supposed to provide evidence of their losses to BP while applying for oil claim. However, there are losses which are not quantifiable. How can these people provide evidence and get compensation? This situation reminds us about the five emotional stages of humans before death, written by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross in 1969.

Those emotional stages are seen now with oil spill affected people. The first and foremost stage is Denial. People were deprived of their livelihood due to the oil spill. Many industries are closed or suspended.

Particularly, Shrimping industry, tourism industry and other industries related to fishing are badly hit by this disaster. People working in these industries lost their jobs. When they apply for oil claim, they are denied of the compensation as they are not in a position to provide required evidence.

The second stage of human emotions is Anger. When people lost their lives and business opportunities, they got angry. They started a fight against the company. When the compensation got delayed, it resulted into frustration. The third stage is called Bargaining. There are people who are badly affected with this disaster.

However, they cannot wait for a long time to receive compensation. Small business owners and property owners mostly fall into this category. They require quick compensation and settle for fewer amounts. This is a good time for the company to make quick settlements.

The Fourth and crucial stage in human emotions is Depression. Depression affects your thoughts, moods, actions and over all health. Depression can also develop into suicidal tendency. When people are denied of their right, they get depressed. The last stage in human emotions is Acceptance.

When people are tired of fighting, they accept defeat. They put everything on fate and accept what ever comes their way. People affected with this tragedy and did not receive compensation will do the same thing as times goes by.

However, nothing is out of control. It is your right to claim for the losses incurred to your business and livelihood. Claim your compensation to start a new living. If you are not confident enough, you can approach a competent oil claim lawyer who can make sure that your interests are protected through out the claim process.

Oil Spill Cleanup

Oil spills kill marine habitat and wild life, pollute environment and alter eco system for many years. Of all the oil spills occurred in the history, Gulf of Mexico oil spill is the worst one. The disaster killed 11 workers on platform and injured more than 17 people.

Thousands of people and hundreds of industries were affected directly and indirectly. The leap was capped after gushing 5 million barrels of oil into the sea. BP has agreed that it was the mistake of their internal staff and the company is liable for all the consequences and clean up process.

Oil Spill Cleanup threats

Oil spill pose a great threat to birds and marine habitat. Particularly, birds are prone to hypothermia. Hypothermia is a condition where the body temperature decreases than the normal temperature required for regular metabolism. Bird feathers consist of air spaces which help them in maintaining body temperature.

When an oil slick is formed, oil is absorbed by these feathers and sticks to it. It closes the air spaces preventing insulation. This decreases the body temperature of the birds resulting in Hypothermia. When oil sticks to feathers of birds, it makes them heavier. Due to heavy weight, they cannot fly and get drowned into water. Marine animals consume water to clean themselves. When the water is poisoned, it affects the inner body metabolism.

Oil Spill Cleanup damage to you

It is very important to resolve this issue at the earliest. Clean up and recovery of oil spill is not an easy task and depends on various factors. Nature of the oil spilled, temperature of water and type of shorelines are some of the factors to be taken into consideration while starting the clean up process.

Bioremediation is one of the clean up methods wherein biological agents or micro organisms are used to break down oil. By spraying sheen with bioremediation, we can remove sheen within minutes. Controlled Burning is also used to reduce oil content in water. However, it should only be done when there are low winds.

Chemical dispersants are another source of reducing oil content from water. They act similar to detergents. However, these dispersants are toxic to corals. Centrifuging can be of help to some extent. Water is sucked along with oil and then oil is separated with centrifuge. Solidifying oil molecules is another method to remove oil content. Solidifiers like dry hydrophobic polymers change the physical state of oil from liquid to semi solid which makes it easier to separate them from water.

Though there are many ways to clean up oil spills, oil cannot be completely removed from the waters. They still pose threat to marine habitat and environment for years. Prevention of such accidents is the only way to safe guard environment. It is high time we implement environmental reforms and save our planet and get oil spill clea

By Seth Borenstein The Associated Press

Gulf oil traces spread east on sea floor, researchers say

Oil has turned up at the bottom of the Gulf in an undersea canyon 40 miles from the Florida Panhandle, researchers said.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• South Florida researchers find oil traces in undersea Gulf canyon
• Plankton showed “strong toxic response” to the crude, initial results show
• Researchers say the oil could resurface later

St. Petersburg, Florida (CNN) – Oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill may have settled to the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico further east than previously suspected and at levels toxic to marine life, researchers reported Monday.

Initial findings from a new survey of the Gulf conclude that dispersants may have sent the oil to the ocean floor, where it has turned up at the bottom of an undersea canyon within 40 miles of the Florida Panhandle. Plankton and other organisms showed a “strong toxic response” to the crude, according to researchers from the University of South Florida.

“The dispersant is moving the oil down out of the surface and into the deeper waters, where it can affect phytoplankton and other marine life,” said John Paul, a marine microbiologist at USF.

Results of the latest survey are scheduled to be released Tuesday, but CNN obtained a summary of the initial conclusions Monday night. Tests conducted offshore indicate the oil matches the 205-million-gallon Deepwater Horizon spill, which has been temporarily capped for a month, the summary states.

Some of it has spread into the DeSoto Canyon, a channel on the ocean floor east of the ruptured well. That canyon comprises part of the spawning grounds for much of the Gulf’s commercial fish. “To date, this is the easternmost location for the occurrence of subsurface oils,” the report states.

The oil is not “draping” across the bottom, but is spread out in “small, unevenly distributed droplets,” the report states. USF chemical oceanographer David Hollander said that when an ultraviolet light used to detect oil was turned onto the sea floor, “All of a sudden, it turns out to be a constellation of little dots.”

• Gulf Coast Oil Spill
• Deepwater Horizon
• University of South Florida
• BP

And the oil could well up onto the continental shelf and resurface later, Paul said. Or it could be eaten by fish and other animals and accumulate in the food chain, Hollander said.

“It’s in such small droplets that you can see it — you can filter it and see it,” he said. “But if you look at it, it’s transparent, and small larval fish see these droplets as food so they’re ingesting pure oil.”

The Environmental Protection Agency has previously reported some oil turning up in the sediment at the bottom of the Gulf, but has not determined whether it came from the Deepwater Horizon spill that erupted in April or whether it was already present. And on August 4, the head of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration warned that oil could persist in the water even though the well has been temporarily capped.

The oil company BP used more than 1.8 million gallons of chemical dispersants on the Deepwater Horizon spill between its eruption in late April and the time the well was capped in mid-July. BP says the chemicals allowed the oil to be broken up into droplets small enough that microbes can digest it, and the Environmental Protection Agency has said the dispersants were no more toxic than the oil itself.

Critics warned the full effect of the dispersants on the food chain was not known and that their use in deep water effectively concealed the full extent of the spill.

NOAA spokeswoman Mary Jane Schramm said on Monday that she had not seen the latest study and couldn’t comment on it. BP spokesman John Curry, meanwhile, said the company wants “to know everything everyone wants to know.”

The company is responsible for capping, cleaning up and compensating victims of the oil spill, and it has committed to spending $500 million to research the spill’s impact over the next 10 years. The latest study will “add another piece to the puzzle,” Curry said.

“There will be others that’ll want to look at this study and want to look at doing some additional research,” he said. “There’s been extensive testing up to this point, and I’m sure there will be much more going forward.”

CNN’s Vivian Kuo contributed to this report.