Texas Gov Rick Perry: "Chertoff sucks"

Texas governor decries FEMA's inaction

By SHEILA FLYNN
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

DALLAS -- Gov. Rick Perry railed against the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Tuesday, saying its inaction is putting tens of thousands of hurricane victims at risk of getting evicted and preventing law enforcement from knowing which of the evacuees are dangerous criminals.

In a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, who oversees FEMA and was visiting the state Tuesday, the Republican governor also accused the agency of treating Texas hurricane victims differently from Louisiana residents affected by Hurricane Rita.

"Natural disasters recognize no state boundaries, and neither should FEMA," Perry wrote. "Texas is willing to work and do our part, but FEMA has to sit down and come up with a long-term, thoughtful plan."

Speaking at a news conference in El Paso late Tuesday, Chertoff said he had not seen the letter, but he praised Texas' response after hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Chertoff said he recognized the need to get help to the region quickly, but added that "the scope of what we had to do" with hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma was "beyond anything we've done before."

Perry's letter came on the same day that the Texas Apartment Association pleaded with FEMA for federal payment of evacuee rent. Perry cited a survey by the group that estimated 15,000 evacuees could face eviction this month.

More than a quarter-million refugees were relocated to Texas after Katrina. Up to 175,000 are thought to be living in Texas apartments now.

"The federal government, ultimately, is going to have to come up with some kind of plan on what to do with those folks," Perry spokesman Robert Black said.

FEMA officials say they have not seen evidence from the Texas Apartment Association to back up the eviction claims. Also, evacuees have not alerted FEMA to imminent evictions, Homeland Security spokesman Russ Knocke said.

"It's a serious claim and we're going to look at it," he said.

According to Perry's letter, FEMA also is endangering Texans because the agency failed "to swiftly assist Texas in identifying Katrina sex offenders and violent criminals, as well as parolees and probationers who are subject to supervision."

Privacy laws restrict some information sharing about offenders, Knocke said. He said FEMA can work on verifying if names on its rolls match those of suspected sex offenders when it receives a specific request from law enforcement.

The governor also railed against FEMA's denial of a state request to extend by 60 days the federal government's agreement to pay 100 percent of costs for debris removal and emergency protective services. The agency granted Louisiana's request for a 30-day extension of its emergency declaration, agreeing to pay 90 percent of the costs.

He called the financial assistance a "commonsense" necessity and said he appealed the decision to President Bush, Perry's predecessor as governor.

Knocke did not explain why the agency denied Perry's request for extended reimbursement, but said the governor is allowed to appeal.

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