Nature’s Fury—the Impact of Climate Change in the US South DAY IV–Wednesday

Underserved, But Rallying in Western Alabama (Reform, Carrollton, and Aliceville)

As one drives through Reform, at first you don’t really have a sense that anything has happened unless you know to identify the trucks carrying huge logs as being ones who are clearing up the wreckage of fallen trees due to the tornado. Then, as you pass the elementary school and go up into one of the neighborhoods you see where the tornado dropped down with almost laser focus and did its damage on a swath of houses while leaving all else untouched.

Damage in Reform

 

More Damage in Reform

In talking with the folks in Reform they said that though some assistance was set up for a couple of days at the National Guard building, soon after anyone needing help would have to travel to Carrollton.

In Carrollton I stopped for gas. After emptying my purse to fill my tank, I was about to go into the station and ask about where the disaster services were being provided when I looked across the street and saw the Pickens Baptist Association Disaster Relief Center.  I went in and found a lovely operation with a set of volunteers providing food, clothing, and a variety of household goods.

Pickens Baptist Association--A Mission to Provide Relief

 

Pickens Volunteers Sorting Donations

 

Two conversations revealed additional dimensions of this disaster and the quest for provision of appropriate, accessible assistance for survivors.  I spoke to the daughter of the head of missions of the Pickens Baptist Association. The women described a serious challenge with how dispersed families are and how information and resources aren’t reaching people in distant areas. She also talked about the challenge of people who had homes that had been passed down from generation to generation, but where there is no longer homeowners insurance. She spoke of concern around how families will fill the gap between the total need and the assistance FEMA will provide.

There were two women there collecting goods for six families in Aliceville, which was representative of the very comment made by the volunteer. With a limited number of operational vehicles available and long distances to travel to get assistance, a few people are charged with working the facilitate fulfillment of the needs of the many. Fortunately, this woman is graciously shouldering the weight.

Resilience and Prudence in Geiger

My day wrapped up with a stop in Geiger, AL, a small town of just over 200 people on the border with Mississippi. As I rolled into town, one of the first places I encountered was a FEMA Disaster Recovery Center. I dropped in and found out that the center was actually in City Hall. 

Welcome to Geiger AL!

 

As I was greeted by reception she introduced me to the mayor.  The mayor spent a generous amount of time with me describing the situation in Geiger. Being a part time truck driver, the mayor was out on a job when the tornado struck. He described his journey into town which, from the highway usually would have taken a half hour, but took 2 hours, due to the clearing of road debris that was necessary for him to arrive into his town. He said as he drove into town and saw the destruction all he could do is stop and hang his head.  He arrived home and found his roof damaged and his shed on top of his truck. In total 56 homes were damaged. He said his town members were walking about in a state of sheer shock, not knowing what to do.

Geiger Damage

 

Geiger on the Road to Recovery

 

Mayor Cunningham lauded the efforts of both Red Cross and FEMA. He said that Red Cross came and visited every house in the community conducting assessments. Similarly he thought that FEMA was very responsive and that they had been prompt in paying claims within the promised 8-10 days.   Otherwise he was concerned that some well-meaning folks were giving them more of what they don’t need and not enough of what they do need.  For example he said they don’t need clothes or food, but they do need building materials, heavy equipment, and funding to finance the rebuilding process, particularly for single mothers and elderly people on a fixed income for whom FEMA funding won’t be enough.

FEMA Providing Much Needed Assistance at the Geiger City Hall

 

Perils of Post-Disaster Diets

At the end of the day on Tuesday I found myself fairly famished and commented on it to one of the Red Cross workers. She pointed out that there was fried chicken and pizza earlier and chided me for not having any. My reply was that I was holding out for something a bit more nutritious and stuck with the one banana I managed to scrounge from somewhere. She looked at me quizzically and said, “That’s disaster relief.”  At first I felt guilty…actually I felt guilty for some time after that I was being a prima donna while folks are really suffering. But then I heard folks at two different relief centers commenting on how they couldn’t get food they could eat because they were diabetic . A friend and staunch social justice advocate friend of mine in Jamaica was found dead on Tuesday of uncontrolled diabetes.  This was a wake-up call. Whether it’s me as a disaster relief worker or the survivors of the disaster, we should have access to foods that aren’t going to victimize health compromised survivors again, on top of the trauma of the disaster. This is a particularly critical point for African Americans with our high rates of diabetes. Fortunately, at one of the disaster recovery centers I noted that Red Cross had “diabetic meals”. We need to work on making sure that life sustaining meals are available and provided in a way that is safe and appropriate for those in need.

Nature’s Fury—the Impact of Climate Change in the US South DAY III–Tuesday

Survival in Rosedale

A group of us went to visit Rosedale where Mr. Carter stewarded us through visiting the areas and assessing the situation. We saw a ravaged area and met up with a group of young boys bouncing a basketball down the street. One of the boys had survived the storm in his home with his family. They huddled together in the bathtub, remembering some words of guidance from some past advisories on storm response. After the storm passed the young man with whom we were talking said he raised his head and found himself on the sidewalk outside and there was nothing left standing of his home. Fortunately, the rest of his family survived as well. He showed us his mom’s car which had been found several hundred yards away from the home.

Family car, found blocks away from the home

Communities Coming Together in Tuscaloosa, AL

The branch in Tuscaloosa was hard at work at one of the disaster recovery centers. They were doing the critical task of organizing donated clothing for distribution to families in need.

Sorting Socks in Tuscaloosa

Their frustration was evident as they stated, “We’ve seen Bill Cosby, Condoleeza Rice, Charles Barkley, and others. That’s fine that they have come to visit but our question is what are you here to do? Are you going to help us sort these shoes? Are you bringing some money? We need help!!”

Nature’s Fury—the Impact of Climate Change in the US South DAY II—Monday

Vestiges of Segregation in Cordova, AL?

Cordova, AL is a small town in Northwest Alabama, with a population of just over 2000 people. When Mr. Simelton, Reverend Forte, and I arrived in town we met with a trio of brothers, where the new head of the virtual household is 22 years old. Their story appears to be a stark demonstration of the sad vestiges of segregation in the US.

By their report, on April 27^th, knowing that the tornados were coming, the youngest son, Madison, along with his mother and his two friends walked a block away to a neighboring church, a predominantly white church, seeking shelter.  Reportedly, they were turned away, though there were supposedly others in the church at the time who had been granted refuge. They returned home to take shelter in their home.  The storm struck while they were huddled together in the hallway and after it passed the mother and two friends were dead having been flung in a ditch and in the street respectively. The young man was also flung into the street from the house, but managed to survive with multiple injuries.

Remnants of the church

 

Former Site of Family Home

The NAACP Alabama State Conference President, is reaching out to the church and others to investigate the situation.  Meanwhile the community has come together to support the family by providing financial assistance, including paying for the funeral. Madison will be going to live in Hawaii with his brother who is in the military.

Nature’s Fury—Chronicling the Devastating Effects of Climate Change in the US South

Home No More....

When I arrived in Huntsville, Alabama yesterday I was met by Alice, Veronica, and Reverend Shanklin (former NAACP Alabama State Conference President) the intrepid members of the Huntsville Branch of NAACP who have been doing relief around this disaster since it struck including delivering goods, helping people access services, connecting lost family members, etc.

We stopped for breakfast and met up with Second Vice President of the Alabama State Conference, Steve Branch. As we sat munching, the store manager who overheard us making our plans to for the day came over and shared that he and his co-worker lost a high school friend in “The Storm” and that the same friend had lost a home. He then introduced us to Sherry who shared that her house had been leveled. Her 13 year old son, who was home alone, somehow survived with only a few cuts and bruises.  She said that when he came out of the house and saw nothing but wreckage as far as he could see, he thought he was “the only one left” which was a chilling thought. He just took off running and ran and ran until he finally came across some people.

We left the restaurant and headed for Harvest, which is a community near Huntsville. There we found a center, run by the Harvest Youth Group, that had been set up to process volunteers and provide assistance. In Harvest there were previously 80 homes, but after the ravaging of the community by the tornado of April 27^th 2011, there were only 9 homes still standing.

Wreckage in Harvest

 

Belongings Saved From One Home

We went to a press conference/resource fair where booths were set up to do grief counseling, mental health assistance, FEMA was set up to provide guidance on claims filing, insurance companies were providing information, etc. On the stage political representatives were sharing availability of resources and representatives of the Red Cross and FEMA were doing the same. Inside a large gym was set up where they had trays and trays of all kinds of food that was being given for free to all.  One thing that struck me was the disparity of those on the stage giving out information and those holding the ladles dishing out food, VERSUS those on the ground at the microphone seeking assistance as well as those holding the plates receiving food.  As you’ll see below, every last person on stage holding the power and the information were white and most of the questioners were African American and all of the folks giving out food were white while those receiving the food were significantly more African American than not.

People in the Drivers Seat of the Response and Relief Efforts

 

 

People "waiting for a ride on the bus" seeking assistance at the press conference

 

Food Line--Racial Disparity in the Seeker and Providers of Assistance

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mr. Branch and I went our own way from Harvest and headed for Tanner where we joined up with Wilbert Woodruff, the President of the NAACP Limestone County Branch, at a store and encountered a woman, Ms. Pryor who told us of her story of being in her home when the tornado struck. We went out to take a look at her property. Ms. Pryor and her son had managed to find relatively secure shelter in a hallway while much of her home was demolished around her. She is now in a struggle with her insurance company who refuses to write off her home in spite of the statements by several contractors that her home is a total loss. Oddly, the same company wrote off the home next door which had much less in the way of visible damage, as compared to her home where have of it was literally a pile of rubble.

Ms. Pryor's Home

 

 

 

Ms. Pryor's Home II

 

Ms. Pryor's Neighbor

 

Ms. Pryor, her son, and Mr. Woodruff

Otherwise, Mr. Woodruff had been hard at work with communities in Tanner that had been severely impacted by the tornadoes. He took me on a drive through the communities.

The site of one of the tragic fatalitiesRemains of the Kitchen

 

 

 Throughout the day I heard stories of triumph and stories of tragedy, stories of miracles and many stories of resilience. Steve Branch spoke of how he was on his way to take his nephew to pay rent on the trailer. They reached the area where the trailer was and did a double take as they saw a scattered pile of debris where his nephew’s home used to be.  One person told the story of a four year hold boy who had been put in a deep freezer “by a man with wings”.  The home he was in came down around him but he survived, unable to free himself because of the debris on top of the deep freezer, but able to open to lid enough to get enough oxygen to survive until he was later discovered.

 On a note of hope, faith, and altruism, that I know will take the communities through this tragedy and beyond, I end with an image that personifies out communities have pulled together in the aftermath.  More tomorrow…..

"I Am My Brother's (and Sister's) Keeper"--Neighborly Grace at Its Best

Voices of the Gulf—Supporting Community Stewards

 

During my time working to support NAACP branches and state conferences in supporting their communities, I’ve encountered scores of organizations doing amazing work and really being the glue that is keeping fractured communities together.  Over 200 community based organizations in the Gulf are providing varying types of support to communities impacted by the oil drilling disaster, including housing assistance, food, counseling, case management, advocacy, etc.  

Throughout the Gulf, CBOs are reporting an extreme surge in demand and a significant decrease in revenue. The financial devastation resulting from the Oil Disaster has taken its toll on community members, causing them to seek social services, and on the businesses that support the community based organizations that provide these services.  

“BP requested that community based organizations provide proposals last year, but they never received a response. These organizations are critical to the survival of communities in the Gulf. They are suffering.  BP gave $1m for emergency relief and $32m for mental health services but much more is needed.”—Senator Mary Landrieu at January 27^th Senate Hearing on the Oil Spill.

Lenore Folkes of Opportunity Inc. in Fort Walton Florida speaks about how her revenues have been cut by over 50% because her organization was partially dependent on donations from now suffering businesses. At the same time her intake has multiplied and far exceeds her capacity.

Similar to Opportunity, Inc., Barry Gray of the Lovejoy community in Okaloosa County Florida has an non-profit organization that had to close its doors because revenues dried up to such an extent that they were no longer able to operate. He maintains the voicemail and to this day, people are still calling seeking assistance.

Voices of the Gulf—The Imperative to Ensure Seafood Safety

Seafood safety poses a two-fold dilemma for coastal communities because seafood is a primary source of food supply and thus fears of continued contamination have considerable financial, nutritional, and cultural impact, and because fisherpersons don’t want to sell tainted fish and consumers still fear for the safety of the Gulf seafood.
Consumer and fisherpersons confidence in seafood harvested from the Gulf of Mexico has yet to be restored. The Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board  commissioned a survey analyzing national and regional consumer attitudes toward Gulf seafood and the effectiveness of communication strategies in spreading news about Gulf seafood safety testing. Approximately 71 percent of consumers are still concerned about the safety of consuming Gulf seafood, and 23 percent reported having reduced their seafood consumption as a result of the oil spill.

Mary McCall of Coden Alabama speaks about her connection with the community, the water, and the tradition of seafood processing in her family.

Errol Barry, a member of the Louisiana Oystermen’s Association who makes his living on the water speaks of feeling abandoned by a system that has promised to “Make the Gulf Whole”.

Voices of the Gulf—Addressing Mental and Physical Health Issues

Both in my conversations with Gulf communities, and in my extensive reading on the impacts of this disaster I learned that physical and mental health needs have escalated with documented reports of high levels of volatile organic compounds in the bloodstream of Gulf Coast residents, physical effects from exposure to toxins, increases in depression, as well as alcoholism and substance abuse, etc. “The key concern expressed by the community in response to the report is the overwhelming need for access to health care. Over and over, people exposed to crude and dispersants from the drilling disaster told stories of serious health issues–from high levels of ethyl-benzene in their blood, to respiratory ailments and internal bleeding—and expressed an urgent need for access to doctors who have experience treating chemical exposure,” states LaTosha Brown, Director, Gulf Coast Fund for Community Renewal and Ecological Health which provides grants and support to over 250 community organizations on the Gulf Coast.
In a recent commentary in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), public health researchers warn that chemicals in the oil spilled from the Deepwater Horizon rig and the dispersants used to clean it up pose short and long term threats to human health, especially if they are inhaled or contact the skin. Also, certain harmful chemicals could accumulate in Gulf of Mexico fish and shellfish, posing a seafood contamination hazard for years to come. In Louisiana in the early months of the spill, according to the authors, more than 300 people, most of whom were cleanup workers, sought medical care for symptoms like headaches, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, cough, respiratory stress and chest pain. These symptoms are often seen in people exposed to hydrogen sulfide gas or hydrocarbons, both products of the spilled oil, “but it is difficult to distinguish toxic symptoms from common illnesses”.

Mary Craft of Coden Alabama speaks both about health effects as well as community impact.

Denise Rednour, of Gulf Port Mississippi also shared about health and community effects.

Paul Nelson is a lifelong fisherman and community organizer in Coden AL. He has heard many stories of health impacts and shares several examples of health challenges faced by those in his community.

Voices of the Gulf—Distressed, Yet Resilient Communities

Pervasive frustration, anger, and resentment resulting from the above challenges and the lacking and/or flawed systems to support recovery, have resulted in conflicts between family members and within communities. This is manifested by increased domestic violence rates reported by police departments and service providers as well as a spike in incidents of road rage reported by highway authorities.

In Plaquemines Parish, in the first quarter 2010, there were 32 reported cases of domestic violence while in the second quarter of 2010, since the oil spill began, the number of reported cases of domestic violence more than doubled to 68. In her article “Collateral Disaster: Domestic Violence Up After Oil Spill,” Jenny Inglee reports that Mayor Stan Wright of Bayou La Batre, Alabama, told the BBC that domestic violence has risen by 320 percent since the Gulf oil spill began. She wrote, “There has been a 110 percent increase in daily calls and complaints to the local police department.”[1]

Yet communities are coming together with leadership from groups like the Louisiana Bayoukeepers Association, Gulf Coast Fund, Deep South Center for Environmental Justice, Advocates for Environmental and Human Rights, Louisiana Justice Institute, Louisiana Oystermen’s Association, Mobile Baykeepers, Steps Coalition, Bayou Interfaith Shared Community Organizing, the NAACP and many, many more, to advance demands for justice in the wake of this disaster.

Derrick Evans of Turkey Creek Initiatives and Gulf Coast Fund Advisor shares about impacts on communities.

 

 

 

Sharon Gauthe and Patty Whitney of  the Bayou Interfaith Shared Community Organizing speak of challenges for communities and the organizations struggling to serve.

 

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Danny Patterson of the South Alabama Community Foundation describes how the communities are being impacted by this disaster including describing instances of domestic violence, road rage, and even an instance where a person was murdered because in a robbery for his claim check. He also describes challenges with the Gulf Coast Claims Facility.

Voices of the Gulf—Gendered Layers of Impact , Women as Beacons of Strength and Leadership

Based on conversations with multiple women in the Gulf, as well as my observations, it is clear that women are both differentially negatively impacted, and also are clear leaders in organizing and advocacy for justice in the Gulf. Below is an article I wrote that was published in “On the Issues Magazine” as well as an op-ed penned in response to the lack of profiling of women’s leadership by media who’ve disproportionately feature men in their coverage.

Gulf Oil Drilling Disaster: Gendered Layers of Impact
by Jacqui Patterson

http://www.ontheissuesmagazine.com/2011spring/2011spring_Patterson.php

    http://platform0.twitter.com/widgets/tweet_button.html?_=1303305285083&count=horizontal&lang=en&text=On%20The%20Issues%20Magazine%20The%20Progressive%20Woman's%20Magazine%20Spring%202011%3A%20Gulf%20Oil%20Drilling%20Disaster%3A%20Gendered%20Layers%20of%20Impact%20by%20Jacqui%20Patterson&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ontheissuesmagazine.com%2F2011spring%2F2011spring_Patterson.php 

The Deepwater Horizon Oil Drilling Disaster of April 20, 2010 (the “BP Oil Spill”) is, as the news sometimes tells us, causing grave damage to the waterways and shores, marshlands and bayous of the Gulf of Mexico. Far more hidden is the devastation wrought on the women in scores of coastal communities.

My research and investigations in the Gulf region indicate that while all were affected, the women of the coast experienced differential impacts and unique issues during the disaster and in its aftermath. In this regard, the Gulf disaster fits in with the experiences of disasters worldwide, in which, across the board, women are disproportionately affected.

In the case of the Deepwater Horizon incident, women’s experiences were different from men in four main areas: 1) Caretaking and health; 2) Economic health; 3) Abuse in the home 4) Family stability.  In many ways, women were required to take on new family responsibilities in the wake of the Gulf disaster. From a gender perspective, these are many lessons to bring forward.

Challenged with Family Health and Welfare

In the aftermath of the disaster, people reported many health concerns: respiratory issues, digestive problems, skin reactions and other conditions. With these new health issues on the rise, women’s care-taking experienced a corresponding increase. As is typical in many families, women in the Gulf took on the role of caregiver when husbands, children or other family members became sick.

Furthermore, women faced risk to their own health, especially because of differential effects on reproductive health, as is frequently true in situations of environmental exposure. Veteran toxicologist Dr. William Sawyer, in his analysis of the risks resulting from toxic exposures arising from the Gulf Oil Drilling Disaster, pointed to Toluene and aromatic hydrocarbons as risks for women because they are known to cause spontaneous abortions and severe birth defects in humans and other mammals.

Mental health issues increased, and women reported having to be the pillars of stability and leadership in the family so that members could continue to function.

In addition, women became the spokespersons for families that needed to share their stories and advocate for justice. Recovery workers – most of those who were hired were male — had to sign contracts saying that they wouldn’t “speak out” about their experiences as part of clean-up crews or other parts of the recovery, leaving the women to carry community voices.

Reliance on public assistance increased significantly in the region due to the disaster.  Women were left responsible for accessing public assistance — whether it’s because women are viewed as being in charge of household matters, or because of gender based “pride” differentials.  As Mary McCall of Coden, Alabama, shared with me, “And then I’m trying to help fishermen without jobs. I would get in line to get groceries, but them — being men — they didn’t want to do that. They didn’t want to say ‘I’m going to stand in line for them to give me groceries’; I did it for (the men).”

Economic Access and Opportunities Shunted

Women’s access to economic opportunities was limited and their experiences in the workplace were compromised because of the Deepwater Horizon incident. The gender of workers in the affected region influenced the degree of economic devastation, the ability to find new work, the percentage of compensation for loss of work in the claims process and experiences in the recovery process.

Jobs that women occupied before the disaster were more vulnerable to being obliterated. Oyster shuckers, crab pickers and chambermaids who I interviewed in my investigations were predominantly women, and they lost their employment. Some boat owners were able to gain revenue from being a part of the “Vessels of Opportunity” program that utilized boats in the clean up, and hotels continued to operate even when occupancy was low. But, employees on the lower rungs of the employment ladder – especially women — suffered the greatest impact to their earning ability.

Many of the recovery jobs involved manual labor, and women were excluded from these opportunities. At one worksite, managers reported that out of the 300 workers, only 10 were women. Women reported being trained and then not being hired when mass recruitment of crews took place. Several women reported their concerns and were only hired after the NAACP called contractors expressing concern for discriminatory hiring practices. Clearly, the Department of Labor needs to increase oversight in ensuring that contractors do not discriminate based on gender.

In addition, many women reported numerous accounts of workplace sexual harassment by both co-workers and supervisors on various clean- up operation sites.  Contractors must adopt zero-tolerance policies on sexual harassment in the workplace.

Women were also under-represented in the contracts awarded in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon Incident. An analysis of BP Supplier/Contractor Diversity data shows that a total of $181.4 million in small business contracts was awarded; women-owned businesses received only $4.9 million in contracts, less than three percent of the total.  In the future, agencies offering contracts must be intentional about outreach to women owned-businesses.

Violence and Abuse At Home Escalated

Domestic violence increased significantly in the aftermath of the oil drilling disaster.  For example, Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana had 32 reported cases of domestic violence in the first quarter of 2010; in the second quarter of 2010, when the oil spill began, the number of reported cases more than doubled, to 68. In her article, Collateral Disaster: Domestic Violence Up After Oil Spill, Jenny Inglee reports that Mayor Stan Wright of Bayou La Batre, Alabama, said that domestic violence had risen by 320 percent since the Gulf oil spill began.  “There has been a 110 percent increase in daily calls and complaints to the local police department,” Inglee wrote.

Danny Patterson, of Mobile, AL with the South Alabama Community Foundation and Advisor to the Gulf Coast Fund, shared another situation during my interview with him: “One woman came to me. She said her husband would go out and sit in his truck all-day, gazing at the water. At the end of the day, he would start the beating again. She didn’t know what to do and where to go for help. There is an undercurrent that no one sees or knows about and help is needed. We need to put resources on this. In some communities there is a culture where you don’t even speak about issues like this.”

Carrying Extra Burdens

From the deaths of spouses to homelessness, women in the Gulf region faced additional challenges. The 11 oil rig workers killed on the Deepwater Horizon left eight women widowed with children; one woman, Michelle Jones, widow of Gordon Jones, was eight months pregnant when the oil rig explosion took her husband’s life.

Time for the US to look closely at the Gulf region

Reports indicate that marital and partner discord and divorce are on the rise in the wake of the disaster. Divided families have left many women and children struggling, especially in situations where the husband was the only skilled laborer and principal breadwinner.

Homelessness increased dramatically in some areas of the Gulf after the disaster. “In 2009, according to school districts and nonprofit organizations who keep records, 400 homeless children were in the system in Okaloosa County. In 2010, those numbers increased to 1033 homeless children and this increase was attributed to the Gulf Oil Disaster, as documented in intake data” according to Lenore Folkes of Opportunity, Inc. in Fort Walton Beach, Florida.

Folkes described one case that shows the intersecting and layered needs that hit communities in the Gulf region: “A single mom, with an 18 month old child, came to us after she became pregnant again. She left her boyfriend because when she got pregnant the second time, her partner became increasingly frustrated because he had lost his job due to the oil spill. He was stressed out because he feared that they couldn’t manage to feed another person. His anger reached the point where he began to beat her because he was so worried that he couldn’t take on the extra responsibility. So she had no health insurance and a baby on the way…. Plus she was not in an employable situation. She had been working as a waitress lifting heavy trays, but she couldn’t continue keep up. So they asked her to leave.”

Learning about Gender from Deepwater

Only a few groups in the region had the mandate to address gender justice, such as Coastal Women for Change, Women’s Health and Justice Initiative, and Women with a Vision. These organizations have minimal resources, and the disaster not only caused them to experience a loss of revenue, but the demand for services increased and their capacity to deliver plummeted.

In times of disaster, more resources need to be directed toward community-based organizations that serve as the glue for fractured communities. In times of disaster, women’s organizations and family service programs need to be able to engage in preventative services to address the increase in stress and the inevitable increase in alcoholism, domestic violence and related concerns.

We know from international research that disasters – whether “natural” or “human-made” — impact heavily on women; now is the time for the United States to look closely at the Gulf region and learn to better manage the gendered ways in which an eco-disaster affects women.

Please check out this article by Barbara Nonas re women’s leadership in the Gulf: http://www.womanaroundtown.com/sections/living-around/one-year-into-the-bp-oil-disaster-women-lead-the-charge-to-restore-the-gulf-coast

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Voices of the Gulf—Challenges with the Claims Process

 

Two Senators, from Alabama and Louisiana, speaking at a January Senate hearing on the Oil Spill, best summarizes the plethora of challenges with the Gulf Coast Claims Facility processes.

“In Alabama, 57% of claims remain unpaid which means 38,604 individual and business haven’t received one penny. In Baldwin County, AL, between January 12^th and the 24^th, only 28 claims were processed, which amounts to less than 3 per day. In its reporting the GCCF makes no distinction between how many claims were paid and how many were underpaid. There is a lack of clear formula re how claims are being calculated, People need to know. Mr. Feinberg told me on Dec 16 that this information would be available. Now it is six weeks later and the information is still not available. Those affected need to know there is transparency, clarity, and consistency.”—Senator Shelby, January 27^th Senate Hearings on Oil Spill

“The way Feinberg presents information at the various forums touting billions of dollars and thousands number of claims paid doesn’t present the full picture. Over 57% of claims paid in Louisiana are quick claims. Those most impacted, most hurt, are not taking those quick payments, so they are still waiting and standing in line.  Lots of money hs gone to tourism type people and I don’t deny that those people are in need, but only a tiny percentage has gone to fisherfolk. I’d like to caution all of us to use full metrics.” –Senator Vitter, January 27^th Senate Hearings on Oil Spill

I participated in an Gulf Coast Claims Facility Town Hall Meeting in January and the content showed the level of discontent and challenges folks have had with the process. Please excuse the ragged videography and focus on the content. 🙂

Byron Encalade of the Louisiana Oystermen’s Association details several shortcomings of the Gulf Coast Claims Facility and how this impacts his community in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana.

Thao Jennifer Vu of Mercy Housing and Development shares the challenges faced by the Vietnamese American community in trying to navigate the Gulf Coast Claims Facility.