Governor Activates National Guard To Help With BP Claims

Governor Bob Riley has activated more than 200 National Guard troops to help BP with the often-times stressful and difficult lost revenue claims process. Beginnning Wednesday, the troops will split up into teams and hit coastal communities in Mobile and Baldwin Counties. The men and women will physically visit business owners affected by the oil spill in hopes to speed up and improve the claims process.

"This will give us an extra set of eyes that when they look at an application, they can determine about whether or not they're legitimate or not," says Governor Riley.

For weeks, countless business owners who have filed claims with the petroleum giant say the process is time-consuming, unfair and disorganized.

"Once the troops decide it's a legitimate claim, then BP will approve or deny that claim within 48 hours," says Riley.

BP will still have the final say-so on whether or not a claim is legitimate. The National Guard will fan out Wednesday morning in Orange Beach, Gulf Shores, Bayou La Batre and Dauphin Island.