BP’s well in the Gulf of Mexico has been capped and may soon be “killed” for good, but fixing the widespread damage from the disaster will take years. The National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health has has released a report (supported by the Children’s Health Fund) based on a survey of 1,200 residents of coastal Louisiana and Mississippi. Their findings give a sense of how widespread the spill’s impacts are on physical, mental, and financial health:
Over one-third of parents reported that their children had experienced either physical symptoms or mental health distress as a consequence of the oil spill.
One in five households has seen their income decrease as a result of the oil spill, and eight percent have lost jobs. Only five percent of coastal residents reported having received any cash or gift cards from BP, although over fifteen percent believe they may be eligible for compensation from BP for health consequences of the spill.
Over one-quarter of coastal residents think they may have to move from the area because of the oil spill.
Much the way Hurricane Katrina had its greatest effect on those populations with the fewest economic resources, the Deepwater oil spill has also had its greatest impact among those with the least. Coastal residents earning less than $25,000 annual household income were more likely to report having lost income than those earning more, more likely to think they would have to move, more likely to report an effect on children’s ability to play on the coast or in the Gulf waters, and more likely to report physical and mental health effects among their children.
BP is supposed to compensate coastal residents for economic losses resulting from the spill, but what about the emotional toll of the disaster? The New York Times’ Shaila Dewan follows up on that question:
Kenneth Feinberg, who is administering the BP claims process, has said mental health claims will not be covered. BP is considering requests from Mississippi and Louisiana for $39 million to cover mental health treatment through October 2011.
… Physical health problems will be covered under the claims process, a spokesman for BP said.
As I wrote back in June, researchers studying the effects of the Exxon Valdez disaster in Alaska found that residents living or working closest to the spill had a greater likelihood of suffering from depression and anxiety. One study of fishermen reported higher levels of depression, anxiety, and PTSD among those living in the Prince William Sound area – and that study was conducted six years after the tanker ran aground.
There’s no way BP can erase the effects of the past 3+ months worth of anxiety. They should at least make sure that Gulf residents can get mental health care to ease the process of rebuilding their lives.