NEW ORLEANS (CN) - Problems are not over for fishermen and their families, or for the nonprofits that are trying to help the Gulf Coast recover from its latest catastrophe. Without assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the charities are relying on BP and private donors. But charities say they are out of money and have yet to hear from BP about a request for more funding they sent it almost 2 months ago.
Long-term studies on the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill off Alaska paint a bleak picture of long, painful recovery, with escalating alcoholism, depression, domestic violence and a spike in suicides.
Today, Gulf Coast organizations such as Catholic Charities in the Archdiocese of New Orleans are gathering stories and statistics of their own from fishermen and other Gulf Coast workers.
"This has been the perfect storm in the worst way. This has been the worst confluence of disasters," said Tom Costanza, executive director for Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans Office of Justice and Peace.
Costanza, 58, chose his words carefully to explain the financial situation of Catholic Charities and other local nonprofits.
"We've run out of money. I'm hopeful we're going to get more," he said.
"In a normal disaster you have disaster food stamps, disaster unemployment benefits, disaster mental health assistance, disaster case management, all in addition to FEMA individual assistance," Costanza said.
All those services are administered through the FEMA under the Stafford Act. But the Obama administration has not invoked the Stafford Act, because it relies on taxpayer money, so the burden falls upon BP, through its claims process.
Not having access to FEMA is "whole new ground in disaster recovery," Costanza said.
On Monday, BP announced that it will give $52 million to support behavioral health across the Gulf Coast, with $15 million going to the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals.
Costanza said that while behavioral health is important, Catholic Charities and other organizations are worried about securing enough money to fund comprehensive benefits - employment, education, case management, food and direct assistance for rent and mortgages, utilities and other expenses.
Costanza had another solution if the Stafford Act can't be invoked: "We've got to go to the oil spill trust fund," he said.
The fund was signed into law in August 1990, in response to the Exxon Valdez spill, under the then newly enacted Oil Pollution Act. It now holds about $1.6 billion, which is managed through the National Pollution Funds Center.
Its Chief of Programs Branch John Baker said in an interview that the fund is set up to assist in specific oil spill-related endeavors, such as oil removal.
Baker said the fund cannot be spent on human recovery, though the law might be amended to make such a thing possible.
"We don't even do pain and suffering or personal injury," Baker said.
BP seconded that, in a statement that cited the Oil Pollution Act as the basis for its claims process: "BP's claims process is guided by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990."
Costanza praised BP's prompt initial funding to Catholic Charities. Soon after the disaster began on April 20, BP gave Catholic Charities $25,000, followed it up with $1 million.