Oil Spill Stories

Spill claims not being settled as fast as promised

Florida Panhandle residents are frustrated that they're not hearing back from the Gulf Coast Claims Facility as fast as was promised by Ken Feinberg, the independent claims administrator who took over the process Aug. 23. "He does not need to put us in any further stress. If it's going to take two weeks or a month, just tell us,'' said architect Carter Quina.

Oil Spill Stories

Charter fishing captains hope for economic upturn

Charter boat fishing captains far away from the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil well disaster have been getting the calls all summer. 'How's the oil down there?'" There's no oil, but there's also no business.

Oil Spill Stories

First catch from the Gulf: Is the seafood safe?

To what degree the oil - and the 1.8 million gallons of chemical dispersants used to break it up - will have a negative impact on Gulf seafood is under intense scrutiny. The answer could potentially leave a lasting scar on local economies and the livelihoods of fishermen such as David Morales, a third-generation shrimper from St. Bernard Parish, La. He's back on the water, but he's anxious about whether he'll be able to sell his Gulf catch. "Right now, they're testing and they say it's good," Morales said. "But I think we're in for a long, hard road."

Oil Spill Stories

Gulf real estate sales still suffer

When the oil spill first hit Grand Isle, La., Realtor Beverly Curole's buyers put closings on hold. Then they canceled contracts. The beach is now clean, she says, but sales are still suffering. "The buyers aren't there," she says. "Hopefully, now that it's capped, it'll be better, but we don't know how long it's going to last."

Oil Spill Stories

South Louisiana oystermen fear for livelihood, community

Louisiana released fresh water to keep oil from the BP spill from fouling coastal marshes and oysterbeds. But the fresh water also killed oysters, which need some salinity to survive and spawn. It will take several years for the oysters to repopulate the beds. What's an oysterman supposed to do in the meantime? "Poverty hasn't struck yet, but it's coming,'' says oysterman Byron Encalade.

Oil Spill Stories

Effects of oil spill continue for seafood sellers

When the oil spill shut down fishing and shrimping for months, prices jumped and demand slumped. But seafod markets are hoping that more supplies will start rolling in soon, and that diners will again feel comfortable ordering Gulf shrimp off the menu.

Oil Spill Stories

Shrimpers get back to work

Shrimpers in western Louisiana are hopeful that the shrimp population hasn't been affected by the BP oil spill and that they can take advantage of higher seafood prices as they sell their catch.

Oil Spill Stories

Fears, hopes and lessons from the oil spill

High school teacher Tami McConnell knows how important the Gulf of Mexico and inland waters are to her Florida coastal community's way of life and financial stability, and said the environmental disaster that started at the end of last school year can provide lessons for years to come.

Oil Spill Stories

Deep-water drilling ban having a painful effect on oil industry

The BP oil spill, which is having a diminishing effect on the Gulf of Mexico's water, continues to wreak havoc on the offshore oil and gas industry and the businesses that service and supply it. The full impact of President Barack Obama's moratorium on deep-water oil and gas drilling has yet to be felt.

Oil Spill Stories

Oil spill still hard to cope with for some

The oil stopped flowing, but the impact of the BP spill can still be felt by people like Cathy and Craig Benoit. A summer without tourists at their Pensacola, Fla., sports shop left them with no choice but to close it, pack up and move their family, a decision Cathy calls ``devastating.'' Mental health care providers are gearing up to help those struggling with anger, depression, anxiety and stress related to the oil spill.

Oil Spill Stories

Pine Island businesses seek advice

On this palm-tree-covered island just south of Charlotte Harbor, they can't see any oil, but they're feeling it. "All of our sales have stopped," said Edwin Connery, owner of Pelican Inlet Aqua Farms, a Pine Island clam, shrimp and oyster hatchery. "We've lost a million and a half in sales."

Oil Spill Stories

Business down, but Pensacola area residents optimistic

Florida Panhandle residents know there's still a lot of work to be done, but at last they feel like things are moving in the right directions.

Oil Spill Stories

Lurking disaster 'has taken the air out of everyone'

In many beachfront towns along the spill area there is an eerie, empty feeling. Just offshore from long stretches of mostly unpopulated beaches, strands of boom mar the view. Minh Nguyen, 42, who drives an ice cream truck along the beach near Gulfport, Miss., has seen 80 percent of his business melt away. "They say maybe next year will be good.''

Oil Spill Stories

Spill bleeds local economy 'like a 90-day hurricane'

Pam Anderson makes money during the summer or she doesn't make it at all. Anderson, who manages a marina that's been a fixture in Panama City, Fla., since 1955, is looking at one of her worst summers ever. The Gulf of Mexico oil spill has dried up demand for pretty much everything the marina offers, from dinner cruises to fishing trips.

Oil Spill Stories

Shrimper who lost nation to war fights to survive oil spill

Sung Nguyen is thousands of miles away and years removed from the country he lost to the communists at the end of the Vietnam War. He's fighting a new war for economic survival now, as a massive oil spill threatens the future of the Gulf of Mexico's shrimping industry.

Oil Spill Stories

Spill represents new kind of tragedy for marina's owners

Buggie Vegas' marina in Grand Isle, La., depends heavily on renting slips to pleasure and charter boats. When the oil spill closed the season to sport fishing, Vegas' business nosedived. ``Sometimes you have so bad a day you say to your wife, 'Why don't we just leave?' But where would we go? We don't have a clue."

Oil Spill Stories

BP's claims process leaves some happy, and many confused

Deciding who's legitimately lost money because of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill is often an easy call. But along with the black-and-white cases, there's plenty of gray.

Oil Spill Stories

Real estate agent sees new purpose in battling Gulf oil spill

Mitch Easley's new work schedule is long and hard, but that's okay with Easley. He doesn't mind corralling tar balls in the Gulf of Mexico all day if it helps protect the Gulf Coast's way of life.

Oil Spill Stories

Gulf of Mexico's Vietnamese fishing community hit especially hard

"We came here for freedom,'' says Nhan Vo, who left communist Vietnam 30 years ago. ``We wanted to work for ourselves. Now I just sit and wait for a phone call."

Oil Spill Stories

Battered by Katrina and oil spill, couple finds hope in small victories

Five years ago, Hurricane Katrina washed away Johnny Vanderhoff's plumbing tools and house. The Vanderhoofs worked hard to rebuild, but that familar sense of panic has returned now that oil may contaminate the crab traps the couple counts on for extra money.

Oil Spill Stories

Shrimping family dreads the unknown in wake of oil spill

Kim and David Chauvin are old hands at crisis management. In 2005, Hurricane Rita swamped their home, which doubles as their family shrimping business. Gustav was a direct hit in 2008. Each time, Kim, David and the kids got to work, fixed what the storms broke and moved on. This disaster is different.

Oil Spill Stories

Even as spill bleeds his restaurant, New Orleans man won't 'cut and run'

Patrick Singley knows the country isn't in the mood for more hard-luck stories from the hurricane-ravaged South. But he still wants people to know that he and other New Orleans restaurateurs are facing financial ruin from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

Oil Spill Stories

Impact of oil spill weighs heavy on family grocery store

For more than half a century, Collins Big Star Super Market in Cut Off, La., has filled the pantries of housewives and stocked the galleys of fishing trawlers and offshore drilling rigs. But the store’s deep roots in the surrounding community mean financial trouble, now that oil is floating across the Gulf of Mexico. Owner Clint Collins figures half his business is directly tied to the oil and fishing industries.

Oil Spill Stories

Oil spill threatens artificial reef -- and dive shop's survival

Visitors from all over the world used to flock to MBT Divers in Pensacola, Fla., eager to stock up on gear before making the descent to an aircraft carrier resting 212 feet down in the Gulf of Mexico. But since a damaged BP well began spewing oil into the Gulf in April, the dive shop is a lonely place.

Oil Spill Stories

Tattoo artist finds new inspiration -- and rage -- in oil spill

Bobby Pitre, owner of the Southern Sting Tattoo Parlor in Larose, La., has been testing his talent for larger works of art since the Gulf of of Mexico oil spill. These days, he takes special pleasure in painting BP CEO Tony Hayward with donkey ears and buck teeth. “This is my way of screaming to people,” Pitre said.

Oil Spill Stories

Spill threatens treasured way of life for owner of bayou repair shop

Before the BP oil spill, Anthony Charpentier's boat repair shop in the Louisiana bayou provided his family with a comfortable living. Today, business is at a standstill. “It’s 98 years this business has been here,” Charpentier said. “I’ve never seen anything like this before. I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

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