Ellington

Only two governors were present at a Gulf oil spill panel during the Southern Governors' Association annual meeting yesterday with claims czar Kenneth Feinberg.

Gov. Haley Barbour and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal held memorial events for Hurricane Katrina's five-year anniversary.

During the meeting in Hoover, Ala., Feinburg explained the new claims process to Alabama Gov. Bob Riley and North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue and representatives for other governors, Al.com reported yesterday. Feinburg said the new independent claims process, which started last week, would be an improvement from BP's handling of the claims.

Feinburg said 200 claims reviewers are working 24 hours a day and seven days week. He estimated that 18,900 individuals and 7,400 businesses submitted claims in the week since Feinberg took over the claims process from BP.

The SGA is composed of the governors of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Virginia and West Virginia.