From Reuters, “Carol Terrebonne, a wholesale retailer who buys shrimp off the boats in southern Louisiana, laughs when asked about the $5,000 hardship payout she has received from energy giant BP to cushion the economic impact of the Gulf oil spill.” Read more.
So when you hear the BP spokesmen brag about the millions paid in claims, please realize that it was only a pittance. People who depend on the gulf are suffering.
St. Pete Times reports” “Yet as of Friday, BP had paid out more than $3 million in claims to nearly 4,000 Floridians. BP spokesman Ray Dempsey said the company hasn’t turned anyone down so far.”
Big deal…checks of $2,500-$5,000 are only stop gaps. This disaster will last all summer and maybe all of this decade, if the predictions of the huge fish kills become true.
We heard last week that workers on Pensacola Beach that their hours would be reduced after Memorial Day. Many expected to be laid off entirely. College students who normally are hired by restaurants, shops, hotels and other beach businesses haven’t been hired at all.
The PNJ filled its weekend pages touting the crowds on Pensacola Beach….many fear it was the last big weekend of the summer.