The Mobile Claims Office for BP Deserted

Today I went to the claims office in Mobile that BP has set up to accept claim applications. I purposely went during the lunch hour expecting to see a busy office with anxious people filing claims. What I found was a lot of workers waiting to help but no filers to be found. I wanted to take a picture of the empty room but Greg Wasinger, the office manager, referred me to the Worley Catastrophe Office for permission. I called and was denied permission to take photos inside the facility.

Mr. Wasinger said that the office had been open for quite some time but no one seemed to know they were there until after Memorial Day. Prior to that he said they only had about one person a day coming in to file a claim. Since then he said they are seeing about 30. In order to enter the premises you must have a picture ID. An officer will greet you at the door and ask for it.

I expressed my surprise to Mr. Wasinger and he said that they really weren't getting any fishermen filing claims at this office. Most of the people coming in were folks who own businesses along the coast but live in the Mobile area. While the offices have been open in areas to provide the most convenience to those needing assistance he stressed that anyone filing a claim from any areas can come to Mobile to do so. So if it is crowded in the offices closer to the coastline those folks might consider coming to Mobile to file their claim. There was plenty of parking and easy access from I-10.

The office is located at 325 I-65 Service Road. The service roads in this area are confusing and difficult to maneuver. Specifically, the office is behind the Springdale Mall and behind the Men's Wearhouse. You can get to it by going through the mall, past Berk's, and driving to the service road. There is no need to actually get involved trying to figure out where on the service road to go.