Posted on 07/25/2006 4:15:18 AM PDT by Ellesu
WASHINGTON -- Louisiana lawmakers and state disaster officials expressed outrage Monday at new FEMA antifraud policies that would cut the level of emergency financial assistance for hurricane victims and force states to pick up 25 percent of the tab.
Federal Emergency Management Agency Director David Paulison said the get-tough approach this hurricane season, including ID verification and stricter limits on benefits, is meant to keep a rein on taxpayer money after reports of rampant fraud and abuse in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
The most visible change is the reduction in "expedited assistance" for postdisaster emergency expenses, which will be cut from $2,000 to $500 per household. State governments also will feel the pinch. The federal government paid all of the $1.5 billion in expedited assistance last year for Louisiana. This year, Louisiana will be on the hook for a quarter of the costs.
According to Paulison, if the states don't pay, neither will FEMA.
"It's their citizens," Paulison said during a news conference at FEMA headquarters. "If they don't agree to it, we won't do it."
(Excerpt) Read more at nola.com ...
IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING Katrina, FEMA was hit by a tidal wave of criticism, for not doling out the dough fast enough.
"The morale is higher in Mississippi about the future than in Louisiana," says Douglas Brinkley, history professor at Tulane University and author of The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast, published in May. "There's a can-do spirit in Mississippi that transcends what you'll find in New Orleans."
I found the above quote in the following USA Today article (today's edition): In Mississippi, Katrina recovery gaining steam
Politicos in Lousiana don't have enough for thier graft machine.
They haven't even begun to pare the excess. In my experience, there are a lot of people falling all over themselves provided things we don't need after a hurricane. they should focus on help;ing those who are really hurt and stop trying to give free water, ice, and hot meals to everyone in the area. The logistics are so hard that the stores are op;en before the government centers get set up.
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"The morale is higher in Mississippi about the future than in Louisiana," says Douglas Brinkley, history professor at Tulane University and author of The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast, published in May. "There's a can-do spirit in Mississippi that transcends what you'll find in New Orleans."
As a former resident of the New Orleans area and frequent visitor to the Mississipi Gulf Coast, I can confirm that this is true. The two areas were affected very differently... the damage in Mississippi was more concentrated within a half-mile or so of the beach. Buildings in that area were pretty much smashed to splinters, then the storm surge sloshed back out (taking much of the debris with it). For Mississippi, although the damage is severe, the cleanup phase is pretty much complete.
In contrast, areas that sat under water for weeks (mostly New Orleans and neighboring St. Bernard Parish) are filled with houses which are awaiting a visit from the bulldozer. As those houses are demolished, they keep finding the remins of storm victims. So yeah, morale is a bit higher in Mississippi.
I live in Port St. Lucie, Fla. and have been hit 3 times in two years with the eye each time. Nothing like N.O. in the way of gubmt. handouts.
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