FEMA's generator reimbursements flowed to wealthier pockets

[DoYouEverWonder]

March 26, 2006

When Wilma knocked out power across South Florida, tens of thousands of people wheeled generators out of home improvement centers and fired them up in their driveways. More than 20,000 local homes sent the bill to FEMA.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency spent nearly $20 million in the six weeks following Wilma to reimburse households from Fort Pierce to Boca Raton and west to Lake Okeechobee. About half of those in Palm Beach County were in areas with a median income of $60,000 or more. About half of those in Martin County, and 40 percent of those in St. Lucie County, were in areas with median incomes of more than $50,000.

FEMA didn't just pay for generators. It paid for chain saws, wet-dry vacuums, dehumidifiers and air purifiers.

The multimillion-dollar payout for the 2005 storm wasn't a first for FEMA: The agency also spent millions reimbursing Florida households in 2004 after four hurricanes struck the state.

The program has come under fire because so many people who could easily afford a $700 to $900 generator took federal money from an agency that already was dealing with several disasters, including catastrophic flooding in New Orleans. Critics question the propriety of the reimbursements and FEMA's policy of not applying an income test.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/storm/content/local_news/epaper/2006/03/26/s1a_FEMAGEN_0326.html


Another 'heck of a job' from FEMA.

[wakeme2008]

1. IMHO, if you were making $20,000 you could not

afford a $700 generator not knowing if you would be paid back for it.

[Judson39]

2. FEMA failed

What has happened to the government to allow something like this to occur?

[DoYouEverWonder]

3. That's what happens

when you have a government lead by a gang of criminals who hate government.

[Squeech]

4. Because

the new role of FEMA, like every other government agency under this criminal administration, is to distribute the sugar where it'll be politically useful. They know Florida is a state they need in close elections, so they've been slopping the hogs there for years. (Here's an obscure example: in the Bush41 era, they redirected the funding for a state of the art magnet research lab from MIT, which had 20-odd giant electromagnets, to Florida State, which had *one* magnet of similar size.)

It's known that in the 2004 hurricane season, FEMA descended on Florida with checkbooks held high, shoveling out grants and loans to people and businesses that were nowhere near the actual path of any of the hurricanes.

Louisiana, on the other hand, has been trending entirely too blue. So they did the math, and decided not to be so lavish. Heckuva job, Brownie...

[Divernan]

7. FEMA told, "Make Florida happy or your agency is history."

In response to the 2004 hurricanes, the career civil service FEMA employees were told by the political hacks at the top of FEMA and DHS to hand out the $$$ in Florida, and were forbidden from following the standard FEMA regulatory requirement of documentation.

[panhead1961]

5. Income levels are much higher

We were living in the keys when Wilma came through and were told to go get our debit card. We had no damage we didn't need anything. A lot of people went and took the money and laughed. St. Lucie and West Palm beach area's make a lot more than $60,000. Most of the homes are over $500,000 but the motto down here in Florida seems to be take whatever you can from anyone and everyone.

[wakeme2008]

8. Welcome to DU

:hi:

[noamnety]

11. Folks in Naples were ticked off

Many of the richest people there had the opportunity to get their free generators, and instead expressed outrage at the time, knowing they were the ones who needed it least (according to my mom in Marco Island). Others likely viewed it sort of like insurance, where if you bang up your car, you'll take the check whether or not you can afford to fix it on your own.

I'd be wary of painting people with a broadbrush on this one, and keep the blame squarely on FEMA who should have been managing the resources they had according to need.

[izzie]

6. Guess it pays to have a brother in the WH

and the thing about the rich get richer. What a group

[rodeodance]

10. BINGO

[DoYouEverWonder]

12. The contrast between FEMA in FL

and FEMA in NOLA is appalling.

Everyone in FL had electric back within one month and even that was considered outrageous. There are whole parishes in New Orleans that still don't have electric. It makes clean up and reconstruction just about impossible when you don't have electric. In some parts of the world this sort of thing is considered genocide.

[wordpix2]

13. that's what I think, too--BFEE knows how to care for their own

[Notoverit]

9. The Babs Bush ethics - raised the Chimp who picked his cronies

Remember how they were screaming: "Clinton taought us we can be corrupt?" Well, it's time we turn the tables.

[babylonsister]

14. I can't even fathom sending a bill to FEMA with the expectation

of reimbursement, especially for a generator, because that would insinuate you have a house.
I'm in shock that FEMA paid for generators. Well, maybe not this FEMA under this admin.:mad:

[trof]

15. Same in Alabama after Ivan.

The word quickly went around our somewhat affluent, mainly repug, neighborhood.
"FREE generators from FEMA."
Many bought them and were reimbursed by FEMA.
woohoo

We were without electrical power for a grand total of 3 days. At least one guy I know bought his generator AFTER the power was back on.

The only "major" losses due to the 72 hour lack of electricity was food in refrigerators.
Many cranked up their grills and there was a mass neighborhood cook-out.
My insurance company reimbursed us $700 (my "estimate") for the fridge contents.
We didn't open our freezer, and nothing was thawed.

[cassiepriam]

16. Duh It is all one big boondoggle for repugs

[williesgirl]

17. WTF - if my electricity goes out in a storm for days, no one's buying me

anything! I guess I'd have to have the foresight to move to a dangerous area - on a flood plain, quake area, hurricane area etc - to quality for this "assistance".

Has a study ever been done in all of these areas to see how many times we've helped the same people and what their incomes are? How about s policy of "first time's on us, anything after that's on you"?