For more information on the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico please visit www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com . See also www.emergency.louisiana.gov .

To report oiled wildlife, please call 1-866-557-1401 and leave a message. Messages will be checked hourly.

To discuss spill related damage, please call 1-800-440-0858.

To report oiled shoreline or request volunteer information, please call 1-866-448-5816.

SBA to Open Business Recovery Centers for Small Businesses Economically Affected by Deepwater BP Oil Spill read more

CLAIMS PROCESS FACT SHEET for Individuals and Businesses view


Gulf Oil Spill: Economic Development Information

• Disaster Recovery Loans from the Small Business Administration (visit http://www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance/index.html for more information or to apply online)
  
  SBA provides low interest disaster loans to homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes and private, non-profit organizations to repair or replace real estate, personal property, machinery & equipment, inventory and business assets that have been damaged or destroyed in a declared disaster. Please Note: To obtain Disaster Loan Program information or to receive a status update on your disaster loan request, please call the SBA customer service line at 1-800-659-2955 from 8AM to 6PM (EDT), Mon – Fri, 9AM to 5:30PM (EDT) Sat and Sun or email us at http://www.seedcofinancial.org/fisheries/ )
  
  Seedco Financial has recently opened the Southeast Louisiana Fisheries Assistance Center in Belle Chasse, Louisiana. The Center, the first and only one-stop resource center for fisheries in the country, provides financial assistance and comprehensive business services to commercial fishermen. It supports the commercial fishermen of St. Bernard, Plaquemines, Jefferson, and Orleans Parishes.
  
  
• Contact Information:
  
  Belle Chasse, LA
  212 Avenue G
  Belle Chasse, LA 70037
  Tel (504) 392-2454
  Fax (504) 392-2456
  
  
• Volunteer Opportunities from Volunteer Louisiana (visit http://www.volunteerlouisiana.gov/help-in-disaster/response-recovery-efforts/ for more information)
  
  If you are interested in receiving specialized training to help with the cleanup, please register at http://www.volunteerlouisiana.gov or call 1-866-448-5816 for information on any volunteer opportunities as they are identified. Volunteers must register before participating in any oil spill response. You must be at least 18 years old, able to follow both written and oral directions, and meet both the training and physical requirements for the role you would fill.
  
  
• FEMA Situation Updates (visit http://www.fema.gov/emergency/reports/index.shtm for more information)[1]
  
  As of May 11, a State of Emergency has been declared in Louisiana and New Orleans. No requests for assistance from FEMA have been received from state or local governments. The main federal departments involved in the effort are the US Coast Guard and the Department of the Interior.
  
  Recreational and commercial fishing areas remain closed in impacted areas of the Gulf of Mexico. Oil has been confirmed on Chandeleur and Free Mason Islands in wetlands and beaches. Skimmers have been deployed to Chandeleur Islands and the Rigolets (an 8 mile long straight in Louisiana). Tar balls found along a two-mile strip on Dauphin Island, Alabama were cleaned away. Protective snare booms remain deployed around the island.
  
  
• Update on Oil Spill Response from BP (for more information, visit http://www.bp.com/extendedsectiongenericarticle.do?categoryId=40&contentId=7061813 )
  
  Subsea efforts continue to focus on two fronts: first, reducing the flow of oil spilled by physical containment and second, further work on stopping the flow using a “top kill” option. A smaller containment dome is being readied to lower over the main leak point. The small dome will be connected by drill pipe and riser lines to a drill ship on the surface to collect and treat oil. Further work on the blow out preventer has positioned us to attempt a “top kill” option aimed at stopping the flow of oil from the well.