Looking Back: The Gulf Coast Oil Spill Fund

Image by Charles E. Leche -- www.charleslechephoto.com.

The Greater New Orleans Foundation opened the Gulf Coast Oil Spill Fund in the early days of the disaster because we knew that the effects on our environment and coastal communities would be complex and long-lasting.

Donations of all sizes poured in to our Gulf Coast Oil Spill Fund from people around the country and the world who wanted to help the people, animals, and environment of Southeast Louisiana.  Thanks to these generous donors, we have been able to make grants to 16 of our outstanding nonprofit partners.  These organizations have an intimate knowledge of the people, animals, land and waterways of the Louisiana coast.  Here is a snapshot of some of the work our grantees have been doing, in their own words.

Statements from Gulf Coast Oil Spill Fund grantees…

Alliance Institute, Executive Director Stephen Bradberry
“People along the coast are still having health problems due to the oil spill, including respiratory, dermatological, and digestive health problems.  And there is still no access to health care – people have to drive 45 minutes to an hour to get to a health care facility.  We are partnering with the Jefferson Community Health Care Centers to open two clinics, one serving Barataria, Crown Point, and Lafitte, and one in Grand Isle.”

Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans, President and CEO Gordon Wadge
“If you don’t have a job, then you’re in a personal disastrous situation.  We’re helping the most vulnerable communities, the Vietnamese, Hispanic, and other minority communities, to organize and to imagine their future as a people.  Can they get involved in coastal restoration?  Boat restoration?  No one knows our coastal areas more than them, because they’re out there every day.”

Coastal Communities Consulting, Executive Director Sandy Nguyen
“With the commercial fishermen, there are two problems: literacy and language.  For the non-English speaking folks, there is a language barrier.  For those who can speak English, there’s a literacy problem.  It’s a daunting task for them to try to get their claims through.  We translate, we read, and we often have to fill out the applications for them.  We’ve helped over 435 clients since August.”

GNO, Inc., Executive Vice President Robin Barnes
“As a way to address the uncertainty about the upcoming fishing season, we’re trying to create new options for fishery workers.  We’re working with the fishing associations, and they’ve expressed interest in remaining on the coast, working on or close to the water, and working in a way that helps them preserve the coast and protect the waters.  We’re doing a pilot to see what kinds of jobs and certifications might be available to them, jobs that use the skills that are inherent in the industry and that are aligned with their current livelihood and culture.”

Greater New Orleans Disaster Recovery Partnership, Vice Chair Jessica Vermilyea
“The fishermen’s associations have started to organize themselves, and we’re working alongside them to support them in whatever they might need.  We’re offering our office space, and we’re helping them with putting together their own 501c3 and with administrative support.  This touches on all their issues: the claims process, environmental issues, things that need to be changed with legislation around future disasters, and health issues.  We’re advocating for all these issues as an organization too.”

Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, Executive Director John Lopez
“We’re creating maps that can help tell the story of how the oil came in and how it impacted the area.  The mapping well help show if there’s been major shoreline erosion caused by the spill.  In some areas you might see a healthy shoreline, but maybe that shoreline was heavily impacted and eroded, so what you don’t see is the habitat that’s been removed.  It’s probably going to take two or more years of observation to see the full impact.  How this season goes for the fisheries will tell a lot of the story.”

Louisiana SPCA, CEO Ana Zorrilla
“We found that the unexpected victims of the oil spill were family pets.  Shelters began to see an influx of pets being turned in because people couldn’t take care of them.  We provided free pet food and veterinary services to keep pets in their homes.  We also were able to transport over 300 dogs which had already been turned in by their families to other shelters all around the country, to try to find a new permanent home for them.”

Louisiana Bucket Brigade, Founding Director Anne Rolfes
“Community members in St. Bernard, Grand Isle and Terrebone Parishes were able to take nearly 20 samples of fish, oysters, soil and water.  All of the samples tested positive for oil and heavy metals.  We also surveyed 954 residents of coastal parishes about the health and economic impacts of the disaster.  Nearly half the population surveyed is experiencing unusual health problems and 24 percent of people who need economic assistance aren’t getting it.  The sample and survey results are being used by local residents in their post-spill advocacy work.”

Market Umbrella, Executive Director Richard McCarthy
“We’ve developed a community supported fisheries project called the Crescent City Supported Fisheries.  It’s a way to link family fishermen directly with consumers.  Consumers invest in the fishing season on the front end and then pick up their insulated bag of seafood products  at the Thursday farmers market to serve fish on Fridays during lent.  It’s marvelous.  We’ve been overwhelmed by the demand.  We’ll launch more pilots this season, probably including white shrimp, and oysters for Thanksgiving.”

Seedco Financial Southeast Louisiana Fisheries Assistance Center, Vice President and Managing Director Mark Maher
“We have had over 1,745 visitors to the Fisheries Assistance Center.   As word has gotten out that we provide BP claims filing assistance, the demand has picked up in some respects, especially with Vietnamese clients because we provide translation services.  We’ve delivered better results than they can get from going to the Gulf Coast Claims Facility for assistance because our efforts are more catered to their needs and we spend more time with clients, showing them how to file a claim.”

Tulane Institute on Water Resources Law & Policy, Senior Research Fellow and Director Mark Davis
“If you’re a fisherman injured by the spill, you can hire a lawyer, but if the fish don’t come back, or if you own a beach and it’s still covered in oil, that’s natural resources damage.  We’re co-hosting a number of meetings to educate key public officials, businesses, civic organizations, activists, and the general public about the natural resources damage process.  We all think that the fines and penalties BP pays should fund coastal restoration work, but that doesn’t mean that’s going to happen.  This is primarily a legal, adversarial process, and you have to get into the process and make it work for you.”

Vietnamese American Young Leaders Association (VAYLA), Founder and Executive Director Minh Nguyen
“The people in the community knew that something bad was going on, but they didn’t know the extent of what was happening, due to the language barrier.  We were able to give information about what was going on with the oil spill in their own language to fishermen and their families.  We connected those affected by the oil spill with those who were in power, giving them a voice, giving them access, and making sure that the young people – many of whom can speak both languages – were educated about what was happening.”

The Gulf Coast Oil Spill Fund still needs your help…

To view the full list of Gulf Coast Oil Spill Fund grantees and partners page, click here.

Image by Charles E. Leche -- www.charleslechephoto.com.