FEMA: A Legacy of Waste (Sun-Sentinel Investigation)

[SillyGoose]

SUN-SENTINEL INVESTIGATION
FEMA: A Legacy of Waste

The handling of aid to victims of Hurricane Katrina is only the latest in a series of missteps and fraud that has plagued this tax-funded government agency.
The Sun-Sentinel took a look at 20 recent disasters and found mismanagement and misallocation abound.

THE FEMA INVESTIGATION
This report is the latest in a series by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel examining the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster assistance payments. The newspaper first revealed that FEMA paid $31 million in Miami-Dade County for Hurricane Frances, even though the Labor Day weekend storm made landfall 100 miles to the north. Subsequent reports detailed how FEMA inspectors receive little training; that the agency paid for funerals for deaths unrelated to the storm; and that some criminals were hired to inspect damage. The reports resulted in recommendations by a U.S. Senate committee and the inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security for widespread changes in the way the agency administers its program. FEMA announced last month that it was making some alterations in the way it awards aid. The U.S. attorney in Miami has charged 16 Miami-Dade aid recipients with fraud. Fourteen have pleaded guilty and one was found not guilty after trial.

Hundreds of millions paid to people untouched by disasters
The federal government's mishandling of the Hurricane Katrina catastrophe is only the latest bungling in a national disaster response system that for years has been fraught with waste and fraud.

`Free money' went to thousands after wildfires
LOS ANGELES · Word of "free money" from the Federal Emergency Management Agency spread through neighborhoods here like the wildfires burning in the hills miles away in the fall of 2003.


(continued at link)
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-femareport,0,7651043.storygallery?coll=sfla-home-headlines

[opihimoimoi]

1. WTF is wrong with the boys in charge....no Public Concern? No

Caring...no responsibilty??

[Opusnone]

2. At first reading you will be pissed...

Then you think about the billions in corporate welfare being doled out to political cronies, donors and lobbyists.
The millions squandered on TV's and tennis shoes will never come close to the monies stolen from the taxpayers to enrich the rich.

[Dover]

Yes.....but there's even greater waste (fraud?) in money provided for Iraq

to bulk up our military. I suspect the Pentagon is the greatest waster of money there is....although all those who are pocketing it would disagree. Where has all the money gone? Who's accountable for it? Why aren't THEY being investigated?

The FEMA criticism (while probably well deserved), is another attempt to discredit an arm of the government that they've decided to dispose of...much like they have done to the CIA. In fact, they've made a mockery of most branches of government because the corporate heads who actually run the government want to dismantle our system of government.

[Dover]

3. *

[seemslikeadream]

4. 1/05 Flood experts warn Dennis Hastert FEMA to FAIL in FLOOD

BREAKING NEWS:
FLOOD EXPERTS WARNED SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE DENNIS HASTERT(R)THAT FEMA WOULD FAIL IN FLOOD DISASTER WHILE UNDER DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

I just found a January 2005 smoking gun letter from flood experts known as the Association of State Floodplain Managers written to Republican Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert warning that FEMA had been dangerously weakened by being made part of the Department of Homeland Security.

Other warnings go back to September 2003 and include Congressional subcommittees!

www.floods.org

"Dedicated to reducing flood losses in the nation."

"The Association of State Floodplain Managers is an organization of nearly 7,000
professionals involved in floodplain management, flood hazard mitigation, the National
Flood Insurance Program, flood preparedness, warning and recovery and the multi-objective
management of our nation's floodplains and waterways. ASFPM is a respected
voice in floodplain management practice and policy in the United States. It represents the
flood hazard specialists of local, state and federal government, the private sector, the
research community, the insurance industry, and the professional disciplines of
engineering, planning, hydrologic forecasting, emergency response, water resources, and
others."

www.floods.org/PDF/ASFPM_...inDHS_H...

The letter reminds Hastert(R) that the General Accounting Office had warned that FEMA would be weakened under DHS back in September, 2003.

The letter also reminds Hastert that the House Judiciary Committee and House Transportation and Infrastructure Committees had agreed with the importance of FEMA staying independent of DHS to remain effective and recommended FEMA therefore be kept out of DHS.

The ASFPM letter describes exactly how FEMA was dismantled and buried under DHS:

"Since FEMA has become part of the Department of Homeland Security, it has been a
struggle. Funds have been raided, staff have been transferred into other DHS functions
without being replaced, slowdowns because of added layers of bureaucracy for nearly all
functions have dramatically increased, and there is the constant threat of reprogramming
appropriated funds."

"If FEMA is pulled apart, doesn’t have a direct link
to the President, and cannot communicate effectively with Congress, all of the progress
made over the last 15 years could be for naught."

THIS MEANS THAT THE GOP 'LEADERSHIP' IS RESPONSIBLE FOR MUCH OF THE LACK OF DISASTER PREPAREDNESS AND LOSS OF LIFE DUE TO STORM KATRINA BECAUSE THEY TOOK APART FEMA AND DIDN'T LISTEN TO WARNINGS OF THE CONSEQUENCES.

TELL EVERYONE YOU KNOW.
--------------------------

(full transcript of letter to Dennis Hastert from pdf file at above url)


ASSOCIATION OF STATE FLOODPLAIN MANAGERS, INC.
2809 Fish Hatchery Road Madison, Wisconsin 53713
Ph: 608-274-0123
Fax: [phone]
Website: www.floods.org
Email: [e-mail]

Dedicated to reducing flood losses in the nation.

Chair
Chad Berginnis, CFM
Supervisor
Ohio DNR - Division Of Water
1939 Fountain Square, Bldg. E-3
Columbus, OH 43224
614-265-6715
Fax [phone]
[e-mail]

Vice Chair
Pam Pogue, CFM
NFIP State Coordinator
Rhode Isl. Emerg Mgmt Agency
645 New London Ave.
Cranston, RI 02920
401-946-9996
Fax [phone]
[e-mail]

Secretary
Rhonda Montgomery, CFM
NFIP State Coordinator
Kansas Dept. of Ag.- DWR
109 SW 9 th St., 2 nd Floor
Topeka, KS 66612
785-296-4622
Fax [phone]
[e-mail]

Treasurer
William Nechamen, CFM
NFIP State Coordinator
New York State DEC
625 Broadway, 4th Floor
Albany, NY 12233
518-402-8146
Fax [phone]
[e-mail]

Executive Director
Larry A. Larson, P.E., CFM
Executive Director
2809 Fish Hatchery Road
Madison, WI 53713
608-274-0123
Fax [phone]
[e-mail]


January 6, 2005
The Honorable Dennis Hastert, Speaker
United States House of Representatives
H 232 Capitol
Washington, DC 20515

RE: House Reorganization of Authorizing Committees involving FEMA programs
Dear Mr. Speaker:

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is one of the 22 departments and
agencies that were combined to create the Department of Homeland Security (DHS),
where the primary mission is to protect the nation against terrorism. The effectiveness of
FEMA's all hazards programs is increasingly threatened with regard to natural disasters.

As you are well aware, the Congress is in the process of reorganizing itself to better
consider homeland security issues. The Department of Homeland Security is now 2 years
old. As the organization of the DHS itself and Congressional reorganization are
considered, the Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM) urges you to make
sure that natural hazards programs retain their integrity and, therefore, their effectiveness.

The Association of State Floodplain Managers is an organization of nearly 7,000
professionals involved in floodplain management, flood hazard mitigation, the National
Flood Insurance Program, flood preparedness, warning and recovery and the multi-objective
management of our nation's floodplains and waterways. ASFPM is a respected
voice in floodplain management practice and policy in the United States. It represents the
flood hazard specialists of local, state and federal government, the private sector, the
research community, the insurance industry, and the professional disciplines of
engineering, planning, hydrologic forecasting, emergency response, water resources, and
others.

FEMA, since its creation, had matured into an organization that became recognized for
effectiveness in carrying out its mission – preparing for, responding to, recovering from,
and mitigating against all hazards. Natural disasters are the most frequent and,
cumulatively, most costly disasters, including terrorist events. FEMA had established a
reputation for nimble responsiveness. This was closely related to the agency's capacity for
flexibility and especially well coordinated, genuine give-and-take partnerships with states
and localities. In addition to supporting responsiveness, these factors also allowed FEMA
to develop well conceived programs promoting hazard mitigation. Such programs sought
to permanently break the cycle, after a disaster event, of damage/rebuild/damage since
much of the recovery and repair costs were borne by taxpayers. After the terrorist attacks
on September 11 th and FEMA’s inclusion into the Department of Homeland Security, this
began to change.

----------------------------------
Page Two

The ASFPM has been concerned from the beginning that inclusion of FEMA in DHS
might not bode well for the progress the nation has made in reducing the nation’s risk to
natural hazards. We fully recognize the need for our national emphasis on terrorism;
however, the effectiveness of natural hazards programs and the all-hazards concept must
not be sacrificed in the process. Due to the sheer number magnitude of impact of natural
disasters, FEMA's work is more heavily focused on these events.

The ASFPM is not the only organization that has these concerns. The General Accounting
Office, in its September 2003 report, said the following:
Moreover, the placement of FEMA within DHS represents a substantially changed
environment in which FEMA will conduct its missions in the future, and missions
that focus on reducing the impacts of natural hazards, such as hazard mitigation
and flood insurance, may receive decreased emphasis. Sustained attention to
these programs will be needed to ensure they maintain or improve their
effectiveness in protecting the nation against, and reducing federal costs
associated with, natural disasters.

It should not be surprising that there is concern about FEMA’s organizational structure or
its loss of focus on a multi-hazard mission – it is merely a continuation of the debate that
began in Congress when DHS was created. The House Judiciary Committee and the
House Transportation and Infrastructure Committees had misgivings about the inclusion
of FEMA in DHS and both recommended that FEMA remain an independent agency to
preserve the traditional mission of FEMA. Also, a Brookings Institution analysis in 2002
raised concern that much of the progress FEMA has made over two decades could be
reversed.

Since FEMA has become part of the Department of Homeland Security, it has been a
struggle. Funds have been raided, staff have been transferred into other DHS functions
without being replaced, slowdowns because of added layers of bureaucracy for nearly all
functions have dramatically increased, and there is the constant threat of reprogramming
appropriated funds. Strongly felt worries about such matters led the ASFPM Board of
Directors, in August 2004, to pass a resolution recognizing FEMA’s accomplishments and
its challenges. The resolution calls for FEMA to be removed from the Department of
Homeland Security and for its ability to report directly to the President to be restored.
The Board, made up of state and local officials, felt strongly that FEMA doesn’t have to
be part of a larger agency to share its expertise and utilize its network of state and local
officials for all hazards management. If FEMA is pulled apart, doesn’t have a direct link
to the President, and cannot communicate effectively with Congress, all of the progress
made over the last 15 years could be for naught.

The Association of State Floodplain Managers recommends that
1) Congressional
reorganization for homeland security reflect attention to the importance of natural disaster
programs and policies and that
2) the Congress undertake an evaluation of the structure of
DHS and FEMA as it affects retention of an effective capacity for natural hazards
response and mitigation programs.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Page Three

Natural disasters impact Americans every single day. In 2004, 35 states had Presidentially
declared disasters – all as a result of natural hazards. Please do not allow the agency that
is in the forefront of dealing with these hazards to be made less effective or pulled apart
altogether. Please make certain that the Congressional structure reflects appropriate
attention to the frequency and the magnitude of impact of natural disasters. If you have
any questions or comments, do not hesitate to contact Larry Larson, ASFPM Executive
Director, or myself.

Respectfully,
Chad Berginnis, CFM
Chair

[JPZenger]

5. More FEMA Payments to Places With Little Damage

http://www.mcall.com/news/local/all-a1_wire-femasep18,0,2035184.story?coll=all-news-hed

"Taxpayer money meant to help victims recover from catastrophes has gone to thousands of people who suffered little or no damage, including:

$5.2 million to Los Angeles area residents for the 2003 wildfires that burned more than 25 miles away.

$168.5 million to Detroit residents for a 2000 rainstorm that the then-mayor doesn't even remember.

$21.6 million in clothing losses alone to Cleveland residents for a 2003 storm that brought less than 1 and 1/2 inches of rain.

The Sun-Sentinel first exposed fraud and waste in federal disaster aid in Florida last year, when FEMA distributed $31 million in Hurricane Frances relief to Miami-Dade County residents who experienced no hurricane conditions...The newspaper examined 20 of the 313 disasters declared by FEMA from 1999 through 2004, selecting cities where the agency's inspectors said they had encountered large-scale fraud. Of the $1.2 billion FEMA paid in those disasters, 27 percent went to areas where official reports showed only minor damage or none at all, the Sun-Sentinel found."

[sabra]

6. kick

:kick: