Posted on 06/13/2011 7:38:13 AM PDT by TSgt
Jefferson County resident Jonathan Stewart said he laughed in shock after the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) claimed the house his family lost in the deadly April 27 twister was ‘not unsafe to live in’.
Displaced families in tornado-ravaged Alabama are outraged after being denied federal aide to rebuild their flattened homes – due to ‘insufficient damage’.
The devastating reality is the house is now a concrete slab surrounded by rubble.
Mr Stewart told AL.com a FEMA inspector saw first-hand the Pleasant Grove residence he shared with his wife, Lisa, and their two children was ripped from the ground. Three days after the visit, however, he received a letter reading: ‘Based on your FEMA inspection, we have determined that the disaster has not caused your home to be unsafe to live in.
‘Although the disaster may have caused some minor damage it is reasonable to expect you or your landlord to make these repairs. At this time you are not eligible for FEMA housing assistance.’
Mr Stewart told the website: ‘Lisa and I looked at the letter and laughed.’ While he has since found out his insurance coverage will replace his house, the family is not alone.
Lashunta Tabb’s home 15 miles away in North Smithfield Manor was stripped of its siding, and more than half of her roof blew off with tornado-force winds.
She too, received a letter claiming there was ‘insufficient damage’ – the number one reason in Alabama the people are determined ineligible for FEMA grants, worth up to $30,200.
It is not yet known how many Alabama tornado victims received the letter.
FEMA deputy branch director for individual assistance Lynda Lowe said finding of insifficient damage are often correct, and many of those who filed for assistance did not have damage.
FEMA officials encourage whose who believe they were wrongly declared ineligible to file for an appeal through local disaster recovery centres.
Spokesman Renee Bafalis said: ‘If you have a question why you received a determination of ineligibility, go in there and let them look it up and help you file an appeal.’
A report issued on Wednesday, however, revealed few disaster victims follow through.
It showed less than one percent of the 25,081 applicants initially declared ineligible for any reason had appealed, leaving the potential for millions of dollars in federal aide to go unclaimed.
An applicant has 60 days from the date of the determination letter to appeal.
It was not known at press time how many applicants were declared ineligible in Alabama due to insufficient damage. However, similar findings have occurred after nearly every recent disaster.
THE BUREAUCRACY BEHIND APPLYING FOR FEMA AIDE:
When a disaster victim applies for a FEMA grant, an inspector is dispatched to the applicant’s property.
Inspectors carry laptops connected to a database called NEMIS (National Emergency Management Information System), which guides them through measuring rooms and assessing damage.
Items marked for repair or replacement are priced depending on the geographic region.
Letters are issued based on the computerised report, telling an applicant whether he qualifies for FEMA assistance.
An applicant has 60 days from the date of the determination letter to appeal.
What qualifies as ‘insufficient damage’ remains unclear.
A pending lawsuit accusing FEMA of improperly denying thousands of farm workers in Texas money to repair their homes after Hurricane Dolly struck in 2008 based on the insufficient damage finding claims that FEMA used a concept called ‘deferred maintenance’ to back the rejections.
Deferred maintenance is not referenced in any regulation, Jerry Wesevich, an attorney with Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid who represents the plaintiffs, told AL.com.
Mr Wesevich described deferred maintenance as a ‘shorthand term that FEMA uses when it determines somehow that a condition of a home prior to the disaster caused the damage after the storm’.
An Alabama inspectors’ coordinator for FEMA said deferred maintenance is no longer used in assessing damage, although there is a place for inspectors to note ‘pre-existing’ conditions.
I generally agree except for the “flood” issue.
Regular insurance won’t cover floods, for reasons I won’t get into, but basically because floods are almost always large-scale damage, whereas, a house fire (a more typical reason) is usually isolated to a single property.
Flood insurance is generally only purchased by people in a flood plain, but when disasters like this happen a LOT of people are affected who normally wouldn’t have a reason in a million years to have flood insurance.
Be sure to watch the damning reports on Obama’s FEMA failure from the Alphabet nightly news tonight-——Pffft!!!!!!!!!!!
The $$Billions still sitting in Obama’s Stimulus stash are earmarked for mortgage balance mark downs for people more likely to vote Democratic Party.
He also ignored the massive fires in Texas, and the fires in AZ that just happened..... did he ever bother to visit Joplin? I never heard that he did.... thought I might have missed it but figured the media would have made a big deal about his visit....
The real purpose of FEMA, as anyone who lived along the Mississippi or Louisiana coast could have told you over five years ago, is crowd control, and maintaining unquestioned federal domination over a region which has been shattered. The well being and immediate relief of any people in the area are tertiary objectives, at best.
You already know that, but many here do not.
To be fair, he did visit Joplin on May 29 - 6 days after the tornado hit.
” did he ever bother to visit Joplin? I never heard that he did “
Yeah - he went to Joplin for an hour or so to attend a Memorial Church Service....
(I heard that he had to leave, after he kept climbing up onto the pew and making faces at the lady behind him - so the whole affair was hushed up...)
If we are carrying insurance on our homes and properties, why do we need FEMA?
Thank you. FEMA is just one more entitlement.
About a year back, my homeowners insurance went up. With a little digging I found that FEMA had expanded flood zones to include the number of people paying in. I don’t pay directly but the insurance companies have to set money aside for FEMA.
Since my home is paid off I don’t have to have flood insurance (which would be foolish since I live in a man made “flood zone”) but the insurance companies are forced to set rates based on the FEMA maps.
“As uncompassionate as this sounds, it would be better for folks to go about this the way our great grandparents did: good churches and good neighbors jumping in to help.”
That would be better, but such efforts have been impeded by FEMA in the past.
FEMA did well in coordinating utility companies in regions to work as a team with others to help get utilities back up quickly.
That won't be forgotten. It's a sword that cuts both ways.
Another talking point on the conversation about race....the fema exec that denied help to the white family was afroamerican for sure. He should be outed, piloried and transfered to alaska.
“Absolutley right! Why would any sane homeowner not have their home insured?”
Because it is not essential compared to water and electricity, and the house is paid for. More and more people are having to do risky financial triage like this, in this era of hope and change. Yes they are.
Apparently blue states are more equal than red states.
This is the ultimate extreme pay for play presidency. If you are not one of their people forget about it.
Still no FEMA aid to Texas for the wildfires either.
As long as there is a liberal around somewhere to scream that, "republicans hate the poor", this FEMA will never be eliminated. It is now and will forever be a firmly established "right".
Seems to me that a lot of republicans are running around with their hands out as well.
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are doing more for these people than FEMA, apparently.................
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