After some urging from U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, Teresa Abraham finally received thousands of dollars in emergency assistance from the Gulf Coast Claims Facility (GCCF) Tuesday, February 15, 2011. Because of the money, she says, she’ll stop the foreclosure process on her home and possibly keep her small business afloat.
Ms. Abraham is a small business owner from Destin, Florida, who depends on Gulf Coast tourism to survive. After the oil spill last year, her business suffered, and she’s been unable to pay her mortgage. Ms. Abraham, who applied to the Gulf Coast Claims Facility for emergency assistance, went to Nelson’s office asking for help.
Nelson’s office relayed Ms. Abraham’s struggles directly to Ken Feinberg, the administrator of the GCCF. Earlier this year during a committee hearing, Nelson urged Feinberg to act quickly with processing claims requests. The Florida Democrat just yesterday cited Teresa’s hardships during a satellite news conference with TV stations in the Florida Panhandle.
While Nelson is happy today that Ms. Abraham has received help, he acknowledges the struggles of many Panhandle residents aren’t over. There are still thousands of other Gulf coast residents struggling to get by and waiting for their claims.
“Our people all up and down the Gulf Coast are hurting so bad that I’m just not going to stand for this anymore,” Nelson said. “Over and over I’ve heard about people who say they can’t get their claims paid and as a result they’re really hurting financially.”
Nelson has written the White House asking for an investigation. Meantime, if you or someone you know is having trouble with a claim, please contact the Senator’s Orlando office toll-free at (888) 671-4091.
Ms. Abraham is a small business owner from Destin, Florida, who depends on Gulf Coast tourism to survive. After the oil spill last year, her business suffered, and she’s been unable to pay her mortgage. Ms. Abraham, who applied to the Gulf Coast Claims Facility for emergency assistance, went to Nelson’s office asking for help.
Nelson’s office relayed Ms. Abraham’s struggles directly to Ken Feinberg, the administrator of the GCCF. Earlier this year during a committee hearing, Nelson urged Feinberg to act quickly with processing claims requests. The Florida Democrat just yesterday cited Teresa’s hardships during a satellite news conference with TV stations in the Florida Panhandle.
While Nelson is happy today that Ms. Abraham has received help, he acknowledges the struggles of many Panhandle residents aren’t over. There are still thousands of other Gulf coast residents struggling to get by and waiting for their claims.
“Our people all up and down the Gulf Coast are hurting so bad that I’m just not going to stand for this anymore,” Nelson said. “Over and over I’ve heard about people who say they can’t get their claims paid and as a result they’re really hurting financially.”
Nelson has written the White House asking for an investigation. Meantime, if you or someone you know is having trouble with a claim, please contact the Senator’s Orlando office toll-free at (888) 671-4091.
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