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FEMA to Homeless: Don't Call Us, We'll Call You.
Posted by Pile
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Kim Calcagno in Marrero escaped hurricane Katrina's wrath and managed to move back into her home not too long after the disaster. Imagine her surprise when she received a phone call from FEMA offering her the use of a trailer as a temporary home. She didn't need the trailer, but her brother, who lost everything and had no place to stay did. Upon asking FEMA if she could get the trailer for her brother, she was told FEMA can't do that, and would eventually get around to contacting her brother regarding living arrangements.
Apparently what's happening is FEMA is randomly calling the 600,000 people who have filed claims and offering trailers, with no logic or method of prioritizing resources on the basis of need. Nevermind that many who are homeless might not be easily contacted, FEMA representative James McIntyre said, "If they've been displaced, they're all in the same situation, regardles of the level of devastation. We have no way of knowing who has returned home and who has not." This makes no sense as they certainly have records of most people who entered shelters, and seem to have no desire whatsoever to coordinate relief efforts with local or state authorities who know which families need help. |
READ MORE | 4 comments since 2005-11-30 14:48:01 | Comment on this Article |
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