How do you feel about this? (Yet another story of FEMA woe)

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So I was listening to a CNN interview with a married couple who lost their home via Katrina. This is basically what went down...

They leave town to stay with friends/family in San Antonio. While there, FEMA sends them a $2,000 check with instructions for them to spend the money basically on things you need. You know; food, hotel expenses, clothing, etc.

A while later, FEMA sends them another check for $2,400 or so with instructions for them to use it on housing. The thing is, they didnt read the instructions. They jumped to the conclusion that it was meant for more supplies and random essential needs. So they found a way to spend the entire check on pots & pans and other things they deemed necessary at Walmart.

They go back to FEMA later to ask for more aid and FEMA asked them for reciepts that they should have for the money that was given to them for housing. But of course they didnt have them because they didnt bother to read the instructions that accompanied the second check.

What happens? FEMA denies them further relief aid.

Then what happens? They are pissed because they are being held accountable to rules they didnt bother reading and blame it on FEMA.

Then what happens? They find about 10 other couples that did the same thing and are filing a lawsuit against FEMA.

Discuss...

― Spink, Thursday, 17 November 2005 17:54 (twenty years ago)

On the one hand, FEMA sucks.

On the other, much larger hand, what kind of idiot doesn't read the documentation that comes with a government check? THEY DO NOT HAVE YOUR BEST INTERESTS AT HEART, PEOPLE; THE HURRICANE RESPONSE ALONE SHOWS THIS.

― Dan (CYA Dummy) Perry (Dan Perry), Thursday, 17 November 2005 18:12 (twenty years ago)

Would this be a situation in which pistol-whipping would be allowed?

― Spink, Thursday, 17 November 2005 18:15 (twenty years ago)

cnn was very depressing today about fema. 30 billion dollars and nobody has a clue where it is going. huuuuuuuge mess all around. everyone knows that, of course, but it just gets bigger every day.

― scott seward (scott seward), Thursday, 17 November 2005 18:19 (twenty years ago)

I get the feeling that those Brownie types would probably enjoy it.

x-post

― LARS AND JAGGER (Ex Leon), Thursday, 17 November 2005 18:20 (twenty years ago)

It's pretty reasonable for a big bureaucratic agency to ensure that you've spent your relief money for its stated purposes before handing over more. (Not that that'll stop emails from shooting around where idiots fantasize about people spending their relief money on boatloads of cocaine and Cadillacs full of fried chicken.)

It's not very sensible to cash a check from a relief agency without reading the enclosure. I mean, you'd think you'd be eager to read the enclosure! Eager to sort out what they can offer you, and what plans you can make in response -- I can't imagine sitting in a position of total uncertainty like that and not scouring every bit of information that comes in. I dunno, maybe some level of stress hits where you're just like "money! money! time to get the pans!," but I'm still surprised.

― nabisco (nabisco), Thursday, 17 November 2005 18:38 (twenty years ago)

Nabisco, this is because you are not a dumbass.

― Dan (Obvious Point, But Still) Perry (Dan Perry), Thursday, 17 November 2005 18:40 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, but FEMA is in a lose-lose situation here already.

If they dont restart aid to these people, they'll be "heartless" and become targets of opportunity for baby-kissing politicians who like to champion humanity when it suits them.

And if they give in and just allow these people to resume aid, people are going to question the legitimacy of the whole system. We already know that a lot of money is being spent...and a lot of it with no immediate oversight. Its just going to get ugly.

Give me a damn break though. Humans are fucking silly.

― Spink, Thursday, 17 November 2005 18:46 (twenty years ago)

Fuck dude, a Cadillac full of fried chicken...why you gotta go and say that and make me interested?

― Allyzay must fight Zolton herself. (allyzay), Thursday, 17 November 2005 18:50 (twenty years ago)

humans are stupid, but then again fema are going out on a limb offering teh cold hard greenz to people in the first place -- i repeat, THEY'RE SENDING PEOPLE MONEY. unless you have someone there with you at all times, holding your hand and collecting your receipts, you're probably not going to spend the whole amount in a kosher way. human nature, doubly so if you're not used to having any money.

i blame both sides here. fema should have a more efficient system.

― oh ilx my lionheart (Jody Beth Rosen), Thursday, 17 November 2005 21:17 (twenty years ago)

I don't understand the basis of suing FEMA, however, because they won't give you any more money. I mean, people get denied welfare and food stamps and federal student loans and grants all the time and don't sue over it as far as I know. What is the basis for the lawsuit?

― Allyzay must fight Zolton herself. (allyzay), Thursday, 17 November 2005 21:20 (twenty years ago)

Dude, a BOATLOAD of Cadillacs filled with fried chicken!

― Dan (What Form Do I Need To Fill Out For That?) Perry (Dan Perry), Thursday, 17 November 2005 21:22 (twenty years ago)

but i've heard crazy stories about the general haphazardness of the disaster services efforts -- people with no cars getting stuck in fema-selected motels out in the suburbs, needing to spend $$$ on cab fare to go ANYWHERE that isn't the denny's down the road. it gets expensive, but to fema these evacuees are just wasting money on "nonessential" things.

― oh ilx my lionheart (Jody Beth Rosen), Thursday, 17 November 2005 21:23 (twenty years ago)

god, fried chicken sounds good.

― oh ilx my lionheart (Jody Beth Rosen), Thursday, 17 November 2005 21:25 (twenty years ago)

I think that we need to start a class-action against someone, anyone, over the group of us's lack of chicken.

― Allyzay must fight Zolton herself. (allyzay), Thursday, 17 November 2005 21:34 (twenty years ago)

Yeah but see if they didn't send out just-plain-money I'm sure you'd get even more problems: people without the flexibility to use the resources in a way that's actually helpful to them, service providers who avoided working with anyone coming in with whatever form of FEMA substitute-money, and so on. (E.g. there was the idea floated of issuing cash-cards of some sort, but can't you just imagine landlords and such shooing away evacuees with their obvious limited relief-card money?)

I guess the question is how many families actually feel they've gotten screwed by this. Ten, no matter how good they look on the news, is basically a blip. If that ten represents 100, that's still not the worst rate of success. But we'll see soon enough if this really has been screwing people. It's tricky, obviously -- it makes sense for FEMA to want to verify appropriate use of relief money, but it also makes sense that not everybody is going to wind up cooperating with the bureaucracy to the letter.

One semi-relevant thing I'm not clear on: are there pre-allocated amounts of relief money designated for different classes of families, or are these people's subsequent requests actually just requests? (I.e. is FEMA have a payment structure already in place, or are people just coming back at intervals and getting divvied out their money based on demonstrated need?)

― nabisco (nabisco), Thursday, 17 November 2005 21:51 (twenty years ago)

(E.g. there was the idea floated of issuing cash-cards of some sort, but can't you just imagine landlords and such shooing away evacuees with their obvious limited relief-card money?)

the cash cards were a stupid idea for so many reasons.

as i understand it, everyone got the same initial amount, and anyone who called up to receive benefits (and had the proper information and could prove they had lived/worked in the affected area) was entitled to them. i believe any subsequent aid works the same way.

― oh ilx my lionheart (Jody Beth Rosen), Thursday, 17 November 2005 21:56 (twenty years ago)

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