FEMA denying post-Ike house aid to nearly 650,000
Published 10:54 pm Sunday, February 8, 2009
HOUSTON — The Federal Emergency Management Agency has denied nearly 650,000 applications for housing aid after Hurricane Ike hit southeast Texas, finding that nearly 90 percent of all claimants were ineligible for FEMA help.
Those rejected and their attorneys say the inspectors are unqualified or poorly trained and the inspection system is flawed in ways that withhold help from deserving people.
The Houston Chronicle reported Sunday that FEMA has received more than 730,000 applications for money to help with home repairs, mobile homes or other housing services needed after Ike caused widespread damage in September. So far, FEMA has paid out about $371 million to 82,000 applicants, declaring almost 650,000 ineligible for aid.
At the peak of its individual assistance program late last year, FEMA and its contractors put as many as 2,360 inspectors on the streets to document damage to homes. Critics charge that these inspectors were motivated to work quickly because they are paid a flat fee per inspection and must cover most of their own expenses.
Timothy Cannon, a FEMA inspections supervisor said people sometimes don’t understand the limits of FEMA’s help. The agency will pay only for home repairs that aren’t covered by insurance and will provide only enough money to make the home safe, secure and functional.
For example, in a house with two bedrooms and a single occupant, FEMA won’t pay to repair the second bedroom if the other is still habitable, Cannon said. It will pay to patch a leaky roof, but not to replace it.
