GULF EVACUEES ON THEIR OWN

Star-Ledger ^ | Monday, November 28, 2005 | BY RUSSELL BEN-ALI

[Calpernia]

(snip)

"As of December 1, if you choose to remain in the hotel, you will be responsible for paying the bill with funds you have in hand, including any funds that FEMA has already provided to you," read the notice from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to the evacuees of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

"What am I supposed to do, go out in the street?" asked Sanders, 65, a former airline customer service representative, as she sat on the edge of a bed in the Comfort Suites Newark room she shares with grandsons Brandon, 3, and Shandon, 2.

(snip)

FEMA said it would extended its deadline until Dec. 15 for evacuees to find less expensive housing in hotels in New Jersey and most of the nation. For displaced victims living in 10 southern and western states, the deadline was extended until Jan. 7.

Already, the government has picked up the tab for hurricane evacuees in more than 49,820 hotel rooms around the country. The cost has been estimated at $3 million per day.

(snip)

More than 7,000 people fled the Gulf states to New Jersey and are trying to rebuild their lives after the two storms. Most are staying in apartments or with family or friends. FEMA, however, said it is still paying for 57 hotel rooms across the state. The agency could not supply the number of people in those hotel rooms.

(snip)

[Calpernia]

I should add this thread here too. May be more to this free hotel room stuff than we realize.


FR Exclusive: John Kerry, Mary Landrieu, MoveOn DNC and Katrina
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1493302/posts

[R. Scott]

But they have to actually look.

[Sacajaweau]

65 year old with a 5 & 3 year old?? Where are the parents??

Sounds like one of those scams, i.e., the old man registers with the kids as the "needee" and the parents are collecting the same bennies in another neighborhood and welfare and unemployment probably, too.

Work??? Hey, you might lose those freebies that way!!

[FreePaul]

Do you have any idea if the refugees voted in your local elections?

It wouldn't be unusual if some voted. We frequently have people vote who shouldn't. In any case there weren't any surprises or unexpected results from recent elections.

[Calpernia]

Thanks. Wish we could say the same :(

[antaresequity]

Time to head home and clean your city and build levees

What did they think, they would get free room and board for years while illegal aliens rebuilt their city for them?

Its a whacky world

[MortMan]

I heard a radio report to this effect almost a month ago, if memory serves.

[myrabach]

FEMA is providing housing for people... 250,000 mobile homes finished, 500,000 on order.

BTW, in Mississippi, Burger King jobs are going for $15/hr with a $300 sign-on! And they CAN'T get people. Restaurants are closing because no one wants to work... just live on the dole.

When do we get enough backbone to say STOP... we aren't going to pay you any more?

[mlc9852]

My daughter and her boyfriend are working in New Orleans. He is doing construction work through a contractor who is paid by FEMA. They are staying at a hotel in Metarie. There are many Mexicans there also. My daughter tells me they are going to be getting rid of the Mexicans who don't have proper documentation. She also told me there are several Mexicans staying in one room but that only a couple of them have jobs. The ones who don't work still stay there free AND show up in the mornings for breakfast (paid by FEMA), eat and go back to the room and sleep! And she tells me Burger King in New Orleans is starting people at $9 with a $6000, yes $6000 bonus to be paid quarterly over a year's time. But it does sound like the government (federal or local) is putting pressure on employers to not hire undocumented aliens. But it also sounds like there just aren't enough Americans who want to work, either. New Orleans has a very long way to go before it is even close to normal.

[Just A Nobody]

"Do you have any thoughts as to whether the refugees voted in local elections where they were housed?"

It appears the evacuees were to be granted absentee ballot status for their home districts.


"FEMA will mail out, on behalf of the SoS Ater's office, a flyer informing applicants of their basic voting right with regard to participating in elections scheduled in communities from which they are temporarily displaced."
http://www.sec.state.la.us/admin/press/p110905.pdf

"SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the `Displaced Citizens Voter Protection Act of 2005'."
"SEC. 2. APPLICABILITY OF PROTECTIONS FOR ABSENT MILITARY AND OVERSEAS VOTERS TO KATRINA EVACUEES."
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c109:H.R.3734:

"Lack of voters in Feb. worry activists
Displaced citizens politically detached
Sunday, November 20, 2005"
http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/metro/index.ssf?/base/news-11/113247392075600.xml

[WasDougsLamb]

But they have to actually look. ----Thats what I said. **If** being the main word there. If they can do it, it CAN be done by others if they look hard enough.

[WasDougsLamb]

---I like your "bump" smilies. LOL

[starfish923]

Thank you.