Anderson Cooper and Crew,
I am here vacationing at my home on Pensacola Beach - directly on the Gulf of Mexico. Yesterday, I counted 50 BP workers relaxing under tents, 10 of which were sifting through the sand with shovels and butterfly nets only to find black sea shells and sand. The water is beautiful - other than the green algae which is normal for this time of year. The kids are playing in the surf; the BP workers are spending their days sharing stories before and after their lengthy lunch breaks. What infuriates me is that I am currently fighting BP to be reimbursed for 5 rental cancellations of my beach house during the months of June and July. Of the first $6400 I requested, BP paid me only $2900, trying to justify that the difference of $3500 was due to cleaning fees and thus could not be reimbursed. In reality, everything we declared was profit lost due to cancellations. I worked very hard through my vrbo site, networking with friends and using a realtor on Pensacola Beach to rent our brand new house on Pensacola Beach to help pay for the reconstruction after it was destroyed by Hurricane Ivan. So while BP is fighting to pay me what I actually lost due to their oil spill, they are throwing money away by paying 50 workers, plus supervisors and large machinery to sit on the beach all day - doing NOTHING! I invite you Anderson and your crew to stay in my beautiful, 4 BR, 3 Bath, brand new beach home with our deck overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, free of charge of course, to see firsthand both the good condition of the beach and the time and money that BP is wasting by hiring these workers to huddle under a tent. I am trying to enjoy the peace and paradise that we all come to the beach to enjoy but everyday, I am overwhelmingly irritated by the bastions of BP workers, all suited up, kicking around sand like my boys did when they were 5 years old. I would like someone to document the truth about the BP waste. My vrbo website can be found at:
Sincerely,
Andrea Grenier
Gulf Coast Vacation Home Owner
Resident of Baton Rouge, LA