On the 20th of April, 2010, there occurred a very famous incident that ultimately led to the founding of the Gulf Coast Claims Facility. Christened The Deepwater Horizon Spill, it refers to the massive spill in the Gulf of Mexico that lasted for a disastrous period of three months straight. Nearly five million barrels of crude oil were spilled into ocean on account of this accident. Apart from the obviously extensive damage caused to marine habitat and wildlife in the surrounding areas, there were also other negative effects such as financial losses, physical injuries, loss or damages to property, and death.
As a relief measure, and also in order to provide compensations, the Gulf Coast Claims Facility was set up by the White House. It began accepting claims from the 23rd of August. Since then, it has been actively engaged in looking into the claims of individuals and businesses alike, scrutinizing and analyzing them, and finally settling the genuine ones.