Oil spill claim center in Chauvin closed

It had been less than 24 hours since the “$20 billion man” Kenneth Feinberg took over all BP’s oil spill related claims when the claim center in Chauvin shut its doors to the public.

“Mr. Feinberg said repeatedly and repeatedly that you have to get a new claim number at the place where you applied for your original claim,” Terrebonne Councilman Pete Lambert said at last week’s Budget and Finance Committee meeting. “And lo and behold they closed down the Chauvin claim center [Aug. 23] and caused complete chaos.”

Earl Eues, director of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, told the council he was unaware that the claim center was going to be closed. He said residents who showed up at the Chauvin center were redirected to the Grand Caillou location.

Lambert still had concerns.

“We need to try and figure out what happened,” he said. “I’m not worried about who’s fault it is, I’m just trying to rectify the problem because [Feinberg] said at least 10 times that the people would report to get the new claim number on it at the place where they applied, and the place where they applied no longer exists.”

Terrebonne Parish President Michel Claudet said he would address the issue by contacting Feinberg early in the week to see what could be done.

“Mr. Feinberg said a number of times that they were going to keep the existing claims offices open and that they would add, potentially, some additional claims offices, no time was it ever said that they would close that office,” he said.

After speaking to Feinberg, Claudet was told the facility was closed because BP was using it as a community outreach facility. Wanting to separate completely with BP, the Chauvin location closed.

“I expressed my dismay to Feinberg, and he’s upset that it’s been done,” Claudet said. “I asked for him to reopen it, and he’s looking into that.”

Claudet also suggested three different locations to open up a claim facility, if the Chauvin one cannot be reopened. Lambert even offered a building he currently owns free of charge. Claudet said he doesn’t expect the facility to be opened until this week at the earliest.