FEMA ordered to resume Katrina payments

NF Reporter · 11-29-2006, 08:52 PM

AP - The Bush administration must immediately resume housing payments for thousands of people displaced by Hurricane Katrina, a federal judge said Wednesday, heaping more criticism on the government for its handling of the 2005 disaster.

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famous · 12-04-2006, 06:34 AM

Poor FEMA. They're just like Rodney Dangerfield - they get no respect.

FEMA Director Paulison 'feels like [they] did a good job', eh? The victims of Hurricanes Katrina & Rita disagree. There are people in New Orleans who are STILL waiting for delivery of their temporary trailers! Over 15 months AFTER the storm and thousands still haven't received their requested trailer.

But poor David Paulison, he just can't get any respect. Boo hoo. He's just one of many who should be punished for gross negligence.

zewlie · 12-04-2006, 03:02 PM

I don't know if I could be any more disappointed in FEMA. Billions of dollars have been wasted, and still people are going without shelter and their other basic needs. I have no faith in the government's ability to handle natural disasters.

limainfinita · 12-04-2006, 03:24 PM

I feel so bad because all those Katrinas victims. I know exist a lot of people how has nothing.

" The director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency said Thursday he was disappointed that a judge, in a sharply critical ruling, ordered the agency to resume housing aid to thousands of Hurricane Katrina evacuees. .."

Ok This guy think that is not a good Idea to help Katrinas Victims?

Hope this Federal Emergency Management Agency could sleep well, I dont think so.

waltky · 11-29-2007, 06:28 PM

FEMA kickin' `em out...

FEMA to Close La. Trailer Parks
Thursday, Nov. 29, 2007 — The Federal Emergency Management Agency is planning to close by Friday as many as 13 trailer parks in Louisiana where victims of the 2005 hurricanes are currently living.

Quote:

The move is intended to help the hurricane victims move into more stable, permanent housing, FEMA said. But advocates are concerned that a housing shortage in the still-recovering area could leave some struggling to find a place to live. It wasn't clear how many residents remained in parks slated for closure Friday, though Ronnie Simpson, a FEMA spokesman, estimated there were dozens. Residents were given at least 60 days notice, and FEMA is offering rental assistance to those living in the trailers, he said. "People act like we're doing a disservice for moving people from a little trailer to an apartment or a house," he said Thursday. "I'm not sure that anyone really thought of these trailers as being their permanent home; I hope not. They were meant for temporary housing."

FEMA plans to close all its trailer sites for Louisiana residents struck by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita within the next six months and end commercial leases by late 2008. The areas slated for closure Friday are mostly in the New Orleans area. Davida Finger, a staff attorney with the Loyola Law Clinic who handles hurricane-related cases, said she was "deeply concerned," particularly when considering the current housing shortage. Katrina severely damaged or destroyed much of the housing stock in New Orleans, and affordable rents have been a big concern for residents and housing advocates. FEMA says people living in trailers are given listings of available rentals in their area, but Finger contends not everyone is able to "beat the pavement" to check out the units and make sure they're safe.

"What's going on with housing right now continues to be an emergency," she said. "It continues to be a crisis, and there are no quick solutions, which make these additional announcements so difficult for people now." Simpson said trailer-park residents won't be evicted if they need extra time to find an apartment. If an apartment isn't ready by the time FEMA begins taking a park down, he said the agency would put a family up in a hotel until their new home is ready. The plans will not affect families living in trailers in front of their hurricane-damaged homes — at least 25,000 such trailers remain, according to a FEMA estimate. Simpson said FEMA has been working with state and local governments on the move. The city of New Orleans, he said, knows "exactly what we're closing and why we're closing" them.

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waltky · 02-21-2008, 08:20 PM

Another FEMA scandal...

Report: FEMA misspent money from selling used travel trailers
Thursday, February 21, 2008 WASHINGTON -- The U.S. disaster response agency misspent millions of dollars it received from selling used travel trailers, government investigators have found.

Quote:

Instead of buying more trailers -- as allowed under the law -- the Federal Emergency Management Agency used more than US$13 million (euro8.82 million) toward fully loaded sport utility vehicles, travel expenses and purchase card accounts, according to a draft report by the Homeland Security Department's inspector general obtained by The Associated Press. The report is to be released Friday. During its three-month review last summer, the inspector general found that FEMA used some of the proceeds from trailer sales for tree-removal services, agency decals and banners and global positioning systems. FEMA spokesman James McIntyre said the agency discovered these problems on its own and has taken steps to fix them.

After Hurricane Katrina, FEMA purchased 200,000 travel trailers and mobile homes. When displaced hurricane victims leave these housing units, FEMA may sell the units to the general public. The law states that FEMA must use proceeds from these sales to buy more trailers or return the money to the U.S. Treasury. In its comments on the report, FEMA said it spent all the money received from the sales to help disaster victims, but the agency agrees with investigators that there needs to be better oversight and control in the future.

"The funds received from the sale of used travel trailers and mobile homes were used specifically for what they were originally obligated for -- that is, the proceeds were used for disaster relief and emergency assistance," according to the agency's comments to the draft report. In its comments, FEMA said it will establish a system to track the sale proceeds so that the proper amount of money is returned to the U.S. Treasury. Since the 2005 hurricanes, Congress and the government have investigated FEMA's spending practices and determined the agency was defrauded, purchased trailers that pose potential health risks and misspent taxpayer dollars.

Source

waltky · 07-24-2008, 02:52 AM

Chutzpah...

FEMA Seeks Immunity From Trailer Fumes Lawsuits
July 22, 2008 - FEMA seeks immunity from Katrina victims' lawsuits over trailer fumes

Quote:

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is requesting immunity from lawsuits filed on behalf of Gulf Coast hurricane victims who claim they were exposed to dangerous fumes while living in government-issued trailers. On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Kurt Engelhardt is scheduled to hear FEMA's bid to be dismissed from a series of consolidated cases filed against the federal government and the companies that supplied FEMA with tens of thousands of trailers after Katrina and then Rita in 2005.

Lawyers for Gulf Coast storm victims accuse FEMA of negligence for sheltering them in trailers with elevated levels of formaldehyde, a preservative used in construction materials that can induce breathing problems and is believed to cause cancer. In court papers, FEMA's lawyers told the judge the agency is entitled to immunity from such claims challenging its response to disasters such as Katrina. The federal government's lawyers said FEMA spent more than $2.5 billion to purchase more than 140,000 new trailers from recreational vehicle dealers and trailer manufacturers after the storms. They also said the agency relied on manufacturers to furnish the agency with a "safe, habitable, functional product."

"It is well-established that the (government) is only liable in such situations if it supervised and directed day-to-day activities of its contractors, which did not occur in this case," they argued in the court papers. The government's lawyers also wrote that a review of legislative history left "no doubt" that Congress intended to enact a broad bar against any such claims arising from disaster relief actions. Tony Buzbee, one of the lead lawyers for the plaintiffs, said FEMA and the trailer manufacturers "worked hand in hand" after the 2005 hurricanes and should share legal liability in the cases. The lawsuits contend FEMA ignored concerns about formaldehyde levels in trailers for months after Katrina.

More ABC News: FEMA Seeks to Duck Toxic Trailer Suits