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Tornado-hit family denied FEMA grant to repair home... because of 'insufficient damag

American

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By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 8:06 AM on 13th June 2011
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Displaced families in tornado-ravaged Alabama are outraged after being denied federal aide to rebuild their flattened homes - due to 'insufficient damage'.
Jefferson County resident Jonathan Stewart said he laughed in shock after the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) claimed the house his family lost in the deadly April 27 twister was 'not unsafe to live in'.
The devastating reality is the house is now a concrete slab surrounded by rubble.
Mr Stewart told AL.com a FEMA inspector saw first-hand the Pleasant Grove residence he shared with his wife, Lisa, and their two children was ripped from the ground.
Three days after the visit, however, he received a letter reading: 'Based on your FEMA inspection, we have determined that the disaster has not caused your home to be unsafe to live in.
'Although the disaster may have caused some minor damage it is reasonable to expect you or your landlord to make these repairs. At this time you are not eligible for FEMA housing assistance.'
Mr Stewart told the website: 'Lisa and I looked at the letter and laughed.'
While he has since found out his insurance coverage will replace his house, the family is not alone.
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For you Mail haters:
Alabama tornado recovery: FEMA rejections vex April storm victims | al.com
 
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Re: Tornado-hit family denied FEMA grant to repair home... because of 'insufficient d

Clearly Bush's fault.. :)


Tim-
 
Re: Tornado-hit family denied FEMA grant to repair home... because of 'insufficient d

article-2002793-0C880BD700000578-7_634x398.jpg


Looks perfectly safe to me... nothing can fall on them from the upper floor.
 
Re: Tornado-hit family denied FEMA grant to repair home... because of 'insufficient d

Ok. If they don't like the finding they can appeal. The article only listed 2 families that were wrongly labeled "insufficient damage" and they were told to file an appeal. Considering the number of people that probably did file for money even though there house was perfectly fine that's probably a very good job done by FEMA. I'm thinking most likely the assessor drove by and thought the neighbors house was his house or checked the wrong box or some other bone headed move and things got mixed up from there.
 
Re: Tornado-hit family denied FEMA grant to repair home... because of 'insufficient d

Whovian said:
article-2002793-0C880BD700000578-7_634x398.jpg


Looks perfectly safe to me... nothing can fall on them from the upper floor.
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A little duct tape here and there, and what? These people are just snakes for utilizing Federal money.. :)


Tim-
 
Re: Tornado-hit family denied FEMA grant to repair home... because of 'insufficient d

Whovian said:
article-2002793-0C880BD700000578-7_634x398.jpg


Looks perfectly safe to me... nothing can fall on them from the upper floor.
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I see some planks and bricks.
They can make a few lean to's out of the material, it'll be like the Ritz Carlton.:2razz:
 
Re: Tornado-hit family denied FEMA grant to repair home... because of 'insufficient d

Okay..the FEMA judgment was obviously wrong...but the article says their insurance (which is designed for **** like this) is paying for the rebuilding of the home. Typically that also includes money for other living arrangements. So they'll still be covered...
 
Re: Tornado-hit family denied FEMA grant to repair home... because of 'insufficient d

As the letter says, it is reasonable for them to cover the repairs (insurance).

The only problem is that they mislabeled it "minor damage". Big deal.
 
Re: Tornado-hit family denied FEMA grant to repair home... because of 'insufficient d

While he has since found out his insurance coverage will replace his house, the family is not alone
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Good......
 
Re: Tornado-hit family denied FEMA grant to repair home... because of 'insufficient d

tessaesque said:
Okay..the FEMA judgment was obviously wrong...but the article says their insurance (which is designed for **** like this) is paying for the rebuilding of the home. Typically that also includes money for other living arrangements. So they'll still be covered...
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True, but that's not why they were denied. A dumbass from FEMA looked at that "house" and decided that there was insufficient damage.
 
Re: Tornado-hit family denied FEMA grant to repair home... because of 'insufficient d

TheGreatSandeno said:
As the letter says, it is reasonable for them to cover the repairs (insurance).

The only problem is that they mislabeled it "minor damage". Big deal.
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Of course at the time when you have nothing, it IS big deal. Even an appeal is a big deal when it adds more time to your relief. They obviously paid taxes.
 
Re: Tornado-hit family denied FEMA grant to repair home... because of 'insufficient d

This is exactly why I'm against UHC. If you rely on the government for your well being, you are subject to their whims.
 
Re: Tornado-hit family denied FEMA grant to repair home... because of 'insufficient d

ksu_aviator said:
This is exactly why I'm against UHC. If you rely on the government for your well being, you are subject to their whims.
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"I'm sorry sir, you have insufficient cancer. It must be at Stage IV, to warrant medical attention."
 
Re: Tornado-hit family denied FEMA grant to repair home... because of 'insufficient d

Hundreds or even thousands of these investigations go on all at once during a stretch of major disasters like this. Accidentally swap 3430 Baker St with 4330 Baker St. and you've just sent the "minor damage" note to an obliterated house instead of one that actually had minor damage.

The alternative would be that the FEMA guy is literally hallucinating. When faced with two alternatives, one of them involving a simple error and the other involving someone being completely disconnected from reality, the more likely option is the simple error.
 
Re: Tornado-hit family denied FEMA grant to repair home... because of 'insufficient d

Deuce said:
Hundreds or even thousands of these investigations go on all at once during a stretch of major disasters like this. Accidentally swap 3430 Baker St with 4330 Baker St. and you've just sent the "minor damage" note to an obliterated house instead of one that actually had minor damage.

The alternative would be that the FEMA guy is literally hallucinating. When faced with two alternatives, one of them involving a simple error and the other involving someone being completely disconnected from reality, the more likely option is the simple error.
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If they know it was a **** up, no appeal should be necessary. More paperwork for a victim because of an investigator's error; all this assuming an honest mistake.
 
Re: Tornado-hit family denied FEMA grant to repair home... because of 'insufficient d

Whovian said:
article-2002793-0C880BD700000578-7_634x398.jpg


Looks perfectly safe to me... nothing can fall on them from the upper floor.
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Those concrete blocks weren't capped, and no termite barrier!!! Who the hell inspected this building. Does the home owner have a building permit? :)
 
Re: Tornado-hit family denied FEMA grant to repair home... because of 'insufficient d

American said:
If they know it was a **** up, no appeal should be necessary. More paperwork for a victim because of an investigator's error; all this assuming an honest mistake.
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If the article is correct they have disaster relief centers that you can go to and they ask you a few questions and file the appeal for you. It doesn't sound complicated. Mistakes will happen, and it sounds like very few mistakes did happen and there are easy ways for these people to counteract these mistakes. Bottom line these appeals are necessary so that FEMA has paper work for all the money given out. They get hit both ways. If they don't hand out relief funds they get criticized, if they hand out money to people that don't need it they get criticized. Sounds like they are doing a good job.
 
Re: Tornado-hit family denied FEMA grant to repair home... because of 'insufficient d

American said:
Of course at the time when you have nothing, it IS big deal. Even an appeal is a big deal when it adds more time to your relief. They obviously paid taxes.
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Except the appeal doesn't seem to have any bearing on the time frame of their rebuilding.

As stated, insurance covers it.
 
Re: Tornado-hit family denied FEMA grant to repair home... because of 'insufficient d

All the federal assistance is doing is bailing out insurance companies that are supposed to cover such incidents. Why is the government in on this?
 
Re: Tornado-hit family denied FEMA grant to repair home... because of 'insufficient d

I feel for the family that the mistake was made. The report wants to play on human emotions. In follow up, the paper should report the percentage that were processed correctly.or how many people have been helped. Also agree that if they have insurance that covers the loss, they should be working with their agent.
 
Re: Tornado-hit family denied FEMA grant to repair home... because of 'insufficient d

Why should FEMA be paying for repairing/rebuilding their home?

Did they not have insurance? As it appears they did, they should not have even asked the government for help in rebuilding, it is their insurance company that should be taking care of them

That they even asked for government help, when they have insurance (again beyond the immediate assistance) is puzzling
 
Re: Tornado-hit family denied FEMA grant to repair home... because of 'insufficient d

Deuce said:
Hundreds or even thousands of these investigations go on all at once during a stretch of major disasters like this. Accidentally swap 3430 Baker St with 4330 Baker St. and you've just sent the "minor damage" note to an obliterated house instead of one that actually had minor damage.

The alternative would be that the FEMA guy is literally hallucinating. When faced with two alternatives, one of them involving a simple error and the other involving someone being completely disconnected from reality, the more likely option is the simple error.
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I bet you weren't making these lame ass excuses in 05, when things weren't going exactly perfect. Were you?
 
Re: Tornado-hit family denied FEMA grant to repair home... because of 'insufficient d

apdst said:
I bet you weren't making these lame ass excuses in 05, when things weren't going exactly perfect. Were you?
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The first thing I thought of when I saw this was "There's no change at FEMA, is there?"

I bet the same people that are on the attack now were full of excuses then. Might have something to do with who is President.
 
Re: Tornado-hit family denied FEMA grant to repair home... because of 'insufficient d

rocket88 said:
The first thing I thought of when I saw this was "There's no change at FEMA, is there?"

I bet the same people that are on the attack now were full of excuses then. Might have something to do with who is President.
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It's because he's black. You know that.
 
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