Shrimper Elmer Rogers broke down today, dropped to his knees in front of BP’s oil spill claims fund administrator and pleaded for money to help him pay his bills, to feed his daughter and keep his house. “I’m not asking for the world. I’m just asking for something to live on,” Rogers told attorney Kenneth Feinberg, who is overseeing payments to oil spill victims from BP’s $20 billion compensation fund. Feinberg is on a two-day tour of the Gulf Coast. He’s meeting with residents, business owners and fishermen who have been complaining that they’re not getting compensated enough in the aftermath of BP’s April 20 oil well blowout that killed 11 rig workers and spewed millions of gallons of crude into the sea.
Rogers was one of hundreds who showed up at today’s morning meeting in the small fishing town of Lafitte. Rogers says his claim was denied by the Gulf Coast Claims Facility, which was set up to dole out BP’s money to those impacted by the spill. Feinberg promised to make things better, but says the system is working. As of Monday, the claims fund had received 470,509 requests for compensation. It has so far paid about $3 billion to 168,000 claimants.
