Orange Beach, Ala. — The US government has no idea how much money Sam Smith, a bartender in Orange Beach, Ala., socks away during the 100 days of summer that define the Gulf Coast high season. Let’s just say it’s a fair amount.
But not this year. The BP oil spill has seen to that, as the usual stream of tourists has become a trickle. Likewise for Mr. Smith’s hours on the job and tips from customers.
BP has promised to make “whole” those whose livelihoods are curtailed because of the gargantuan spill. But now the claims process is being taken over by Kenneth Feinberg, the Obama-appointed manager of BP’s $20 billion escrow account aimed at settling damages from the Gulf oil spill, and Smith suspects that his inability to document his prior years’ earnings means his bid to recoup what’s likely to be a catastrophic loss of wages will probably be denied.
“I might not get fully compensated, but at least I’d get a check from BP,” says the father of a 10-month-old girl, who asked that his last name be changed for this story. “With the government involved, my chances of recovering what I might have made are going to be just about nil.”
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Photo by Patrik Jonsson, The Christian Science Monitor