Posted on 10/23/2005 4:47:17 PM PDT by Graybeard58
MOBILE, Ala. -- When Hurricane Katrina knocked out power to Lakeshia Watson's public housing apartment, she opened a window.
An air conditioner fell out, and water damaged a mattress and clothing, said the 23-year-old tenant of Roger Williams Homes.
"It wasn't bad," she said. "It just was rain coming in."
Watson called the Federal Emergency Management Agency and got $2,000 in emergency aid.
A bathroom ceiling partially collapsed in the modest house Thelma Robinson rents. A sofa in front of a fireplace got wet, as did other living room furniture, from the family opening the door to watch the hurricane.
"A lot of that rain came because we were just looking at the storm," said Robinson, 35. "Not too much damage, but it messed up a lot of clothes."
She collected $2,000 from FEMA.
Water leaked in through a window in Stacy Taylor's government-subsidized apartment, damaging a television and VCR. She got $2,000 but was turned down for more money after a FEMA inspector visited.
"They said I didn't have enough damage," said Taylor, 21. "All I wanted them to do was pay for my TV and VCR."
In Mobile County, on the eastern fringes of Katrina, at least 85,000 residents -- more than half the total number of households -- have applied for FEMA aid. The storm destroyed homes in waterfront communities including Bayou La Batre and Dauphin Island but damaged only about 1,700 residences overall, said Walt Dickerson, the county's emergency management director.
In the first three weeks after the storm, more than 17,000 Mobile County applicants had collected the government's $2,000 emergency payments meant for victims displaced by Katrina.
At disaster relief centers, on front porches and in the streets, talk turned to what to say when calling FEMA.
"I heard if you said the right thing on the phone -- you had to evacuate, you didn't stay -- they were giving people $2,000," said Melissa Toney, 37. "They gave you money over the phone. What kind of mess was that?"
Toney said she did not get the $2,000. "I'm trying to figure out what did I say wrong?"
When FEMA asked Robinson if she had to move, she said, she replied: "I would like to."
Included with her $2,000 check was a letter from the government dated Sept. 11 that described "how to use your FEMA expedited housing assistance."
"If you cannot live in your home because it was damaged or destroyed by the disaster, the money you receive from FEMA may be used for your emergency housing needs," the letter said.
The next day, FEMA wrote Robinson a second letter denying her additional money, based on an inspector's visit, due to "insufficient damage."
Robinson said she planned to buy new carpeting and furniture with her $2,000.
This. Is. Called. Fraud.
It really pissed me off that two or three neighbors on our block took advantage of this largess (they were all well-insured, as were we).
I think this is a two party crime. The slimeballs who take advantage of an out-of-control money dump who do not warrant it AND an inept PC Gov't bureaucracy afraid of being criticized in the MSM for not being 'Compassionate'. MTCFWIW
An air conditioner fell out, and water damaged a mattress and clothing, said the 23-year-old tenant of Roger Williams Homes.
Think that she is paying taxes from rental income?
Fueling the government is Mom and Dad.
It's like they won the lottery.
Throwing checks at people who have NO respect for your tax dollars and dishonest to boot with NO incentive to better themselves on their own ... is the TRUE problem.
ARRRRRRRGGGHHH!!
It's a joke. People are looking forward to storms now.
When FEMA asked Robinson if she had to move, she said, she replied: "I would like to."
----A lot of people would if someone else was footing the bill.
Robinson said she planned to buy new carpeting and furniture with her $2,000
----Not much damage then if that's how it is going to be used (the money you receive from FEMA may be used for your emergency housing needs). So she got what she needed, not WANTED, which is all anyone should get. These checks are to help evacuees get back on their feet and not to make a profit from.
There are so many things wrong with this statement..
A sofa in front of a fireplace got wet, as did other living room furniture, from the family opening the door to watch the hurricane.
"A lot of that rain came because we were just looking at the storm," said Robinson, 35.
I remember that Northridge earthquake as well. Totally ticked me off that a well-off acquaintance decided that this was a good way to finance repairing the cracked driveway that she'd been complaining about for two years. It worked.
And I have no clue as to what the answer is - if the money is too hard to get, then the truly needy will suffer, and if it's too easy, these scam artists (and, BTW, I don't like this article's insinuation that they are all poor & Black. The case I mentioned, as I suspect the ones you did, are fairly wealthy whites) get what they don't deserve.
I can't imagine finding a way to get it perfectly right.
I wouldn't say that - my house got trashed from Katrina and we were told by the mortgage and insurance company that we didn't need flood insurance. The storm surge is now a "flood" and of course, we're not covered for about $50K in losses. These articles always point out the bad stuff (like the way they do the war on terror, etc.) and everyone buys into it because they hate for thewir tax dollars to go to waste. I've been working for 38 years (24 in the Air Force) and paying taxes the whole time. What I've sen so far is that because of stories like this, FEMA has put extra red tape in the way for those of us who are really up the creek.
Is there abuse - Yes. Is that the majority of the cases - No. It's easy to make statements like yours from an unaffected area - I'll trade situations and be only too happy for you to come on down here and look forward to some more storms.
I'm sorry I offended you and for your damage. I had minor damage from a TS this summer but didn't claim it because my rates would go up and it was just a little over my deductable. My agent also tells me that I don't need flood insurance either. Why do they do that? It's not really that much and it only takes one time. I have no problem with helping people with damage like yours but abuse is happening.
Expedited Assistance
Am I eligible for Expedited Assistance?
You may be eligible if:
She collected $2,000 from FEMA.
I burned up about $55.00 USD in supplies.
Where's my check?
I apologize for being thin-skinned - I read the same type stories about FEMA in Florida last year and had similar thoughts. Since FEMA was the big provider with $2K to date (another $665.00 from the Red Cross and almost $1200.00 in an emergency food stamp program round out the help so far. I'm one of the luckier ones in this whole story and I've spent over $11K of my own money trying to just make the place livable so far (studs and insulation, a makeshift kitchen and bathroom and an air mattress to sleep on). It's hard to imagine that my story is one of the happier ones, but it's true. Many folks will never recover as they are too old to have time to make up for the huge cash drains and move into retirement. Since I'm capable of doing much of the repair work, my wife and I can take our time and piece the house back together over the next couple years; if we had to pay for labor, we'd be sunk. Pray for those that are in really dire straits.
God Bless
What part of that article even implied that?
I reread it and there is nothing in it that could remotely be inferred that they are talking about "poor and black".
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