Gulf Coast Hurricane Relief..still waiting.

[Alicia Leonard]

I just got this in my email. It is outrageous and if it was happening to us, I think most might agree.

More than two months after Hurricane Ike obliterated Texas' coastal communities, thousands of residents from Oak Island to the Bolivar Peninsula have yet to see any federal aid. Hundreds are still living in tents, disabled cars and condemned, mold-ravaged homes, digging through the mucky remains while they await FEMA inspectors, insurance adjusters, mobile homes and utilities.

Their devastation ? and local leaders' fury at the layers of bureaucracy ? is mirrored at the state level. Nearly a month after Gov. Rick Perry asked FEMA to fully cover 18 more months of costly debris removal, the federal agency has yet to respond to him.

The fate of several housing projects and its 550 residents still not known. Four developments ? Cedar Terrace, Palm Terrace, Oleander Homes and Magnolia Homes ? remain closed. The units have not been cleaned or repaired. The damage has been estimated at $14 million to $20 million.

In one of the most staggering blows to both families and the county?s economy in recent memory, about 3,800 full-time jobs will be cut at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston as officials sharply downsize the island?s only hospital after Hurricane Ike caused severe flooding and deep financial losses.

About 1,000 displaced Galveston County residents have qualified for the temporary housing units, but only 63 manufactured homes have so far been installed in the county. City of Galveston officials say it?s time to cut through the red tape and make an exception to the rules to get people somewhere to live while they try to put their lives back together.

The Texas Legislature will convene for the 81st Regular Session on January 13, 2009.

I urge you to contact Texas State Senator Mike Jackson, Senate District 11, and ask for his support in getting as much money as possible to the University of Texas Medical Branch and to push through federal funding to repair storm damage. Below is a link to his website with an email form you can use:

http://www.senate.state.tx.us/75r/senate/members/dist11/dist11.htm#Form

A note to Texas U.S. Representative Ron Paul, Congressional District 14, would also be helpful:

http://www.house.gov/paul/contact.shtml

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, who serves on a Department of Homeland Security committee that oversees FEMA, wants to revise the law that gives FEMA the ultimate authority in responding to disaster areas. An email to her showing support for this may also be beneficial:

http://www.jacksonlee.house.gov/contact-form.shtml

Galveston still needs your help. If you have pledged to raise funds, now is the time to ask your friends to donate $10 to reach our goal.

 

[beachmouse]

It's pretty much par for the course with FEMA, alleged post-Katrina improvements or no. After the storms of 2004, there were a bunch of Florida counties that had to issue government bonds to pay for debris removal because FEMA refused to disburse designated funds for that in a timely manner despite promises to the contrary. (IIRC, FEMA finally paid for all the debris invoices some time in 2006)

The problem with FEMA trailers and coastal areas is that you really aren't supposed to put them on barrier islands where most kinds of traditional manufactured housing are effectively banned because of concerns over storm damage. So it takes time to figure out where they can be put safely on a temporary basis.

As for the other parts of the e-mail, a lot of similar things happened in 2004-05. Pensacola lost an entire public housing complex to Ivan damage, and it will not effectively be replaced. And all of Escambia County was essentially a mess for a good six months after the storm.

When you take a direct hit from a major hurricane, it's going to suck, and probably continue to suck for a long time, even when relief efforts go well. And at the state level, the only place that is effective at disaster relief as the state of Florida is would maybe be Puerto Rico.

So it's sad to hear that things are going slowly in Texas, but when you're talking an area that took a hundred years to become what it is before Ike, it's going to be a long and painful slog to start to return to normal.

 

[John R]

You're doin' a great job Mike...

 

[Bobskunk]

No more hurricanes

The new administration has placed a ban on all hurricanes, and will begin debates to outlaw illness and accidents.

I lost my home, and all of my possessions in Katrina, and I have not received anything from FEMA. I am blessed that I was able to handle this on my own, and I don't begrudge those who need help. However, in New Orleans, those that received the most assistance complained the loudest. Nothing was going to suffice. When disasters strike, there will be some hardship.

Well, that was the case. Now that disasters are no longer allowed, it will become a moot point.

 

[Alicia Leonard]

I'm most disappointed in the part of the email that said insurance adjusters are not showing up. I am blessed that I have friends and family I could stay with until I could get back on my feet, but after paying out of the yang for homeowners ins, I would be hot over their absence.

 

[traderx]

What did hurricane victims do before FEMA? Serious question.

 

[Alicia Leonard]

What did hurricane victims do before FEMA? Serious question.

I have no idea. I remember when Eloise hit, we lived on a hundred acres with less than ten other homes in about a 5 mile radius. The National Guard brought out a huge generator for our small community and placed it in our front yard. The rest, we were like the Amish, we helped each other rebuild, clean up and shared, till some aspect of normalcy returned.

 

[poppy]

What did hurricane victims do before FEMA? Serious question.

Serious answer. Who can remember back that far.

From the FEMA web site;

FEMA can trace its beginnings to the Congressional Act of 1803. This act, generally considered the first piece of disaster legislation, provided assistance to a New Hampshire town following an extensive fire.

 

[Geo]

The new administration has placed a ban on all hurricanes, and will begin debates to outlaw illness and accidents.

I lost my home, and all of my possessions in Katrina, and I have not received anything from FEMA. I am blessed that I was able to handle this on my own, and I don't begrudge those who need help. However, in New Orleans, those that received the most assistance complained the loudest. Nothing was going to suffice. When disasters strike, there will be some hardship.

Well, that was the case. Now that disasters are no longer allowed, it will become a moot point.

Oh, you've heard about the ban. Good.
I knew it was only a matter of time before the nonbelievers would accept him as the Messiah...

 

[BeachSiO2]

I received this today regarding FEMA efforts...

Hundreds of Thousands of Housing Inspections Completed

FEMA Daily Digest
November 20, 2008

Inspectors contracted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have inspected more than 375,000 homes damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Ike. These inspections are free and generally take less than an hour. They are conducted by FEMA contract inspectors who have construction and/or appraisal expertise and receive disaster-specific training. Each inspector wears official photo identification.

HOUSING INSPECTION ACTIVITY:

377,372 Total housing inspections issued
375,275 Total housing inspections completed
2,360 Peak number of inspectors in the field
99.4% Percentage of completion to date
30-45 min. Average timeframe to conduct housing inspection

Inspectors document the damage but do not determine the resident's eligibility for disaster assistance. They check for damage to the building structure and its systems, major appliances and any damaged septic systems and wells. Residents should tell the inspector about other important losses such as clothing, medical equipment, tools needed for a trade and educational materials. Inspectors will then relay this information to FEMA. Should you need to discuss your eligibility, please contact FEMA at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or (TTY) 1-800-462-7585.

More disaster recovery information is available at www.fema.gov or www.txdps.state.tx.us/dem.

FEMA coordinates the federal government's role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.