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In reversal, FEMA says it is not 'shutting off' hurricane aid to Puerto Rico — see how devastated th

JANFU

JANFU

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PHOTOS: Puerto Rico is still devastated 4 months after Hurricane Maria - Business Insider

The lights are still out for nearly half a million Puerto Ricans.

After Hurricane Maria struck the US territory on September 20, a crippling blackout descended over its 3.4 million residents, cutting communication between loved ones, spoiling food and life-saving medications, and nixing access to banks and clean water.

The death toll, initially estimated at 64, is now thought to be at least 1,000, according to a recent New York Times analysis. Earlier this week, FEMA told NPR is was "officially shutting off" aid to the US territory on January 31, but on Wednesday the agency reversed course and said an end date for support was not yet set.

Nearly four months after the storm, more than 450,000 Puerto Ricans remain without power, and thousands have no clean water.
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Read today they had halted all assistance- considered it a DFM.
Guess someone figured that out.
 
20% of the island is still without power, four months after Hurricane Maria. :shock:
 
Mr Person said:
A certain contingent sees them as fake Americans
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Are they the same people who think native Americans should go back to their own country?
 
The Mark said:
Why the hell would they stop helping if it's not fixed yet?
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Great questions, but many other questions as well.

FEMA, Federal Emergency Management Agency? Not a Reconstruction Agency. So are they staffed and or funded to return an island to PRE Hurricane conditions or are they Meant to get immediate and life sustaining fixes to an Island?


I work in an industry that monitors FEMA. With that we deal with "LOSSES" not at that scale of destruction, but if someone loses their home its catastrophic to them. FEMA as a single entity that can step in to provide life saving and minimal support. BUT hopefully the individual has proper insurance and or additional private and public support. To Rebuild their home

FEMA is funded by our Tax Dollars? and Provides Support but is not the "General Contractor" that manages the rebuild of home/island.

It is the responsibility of the State/territory for returning the island BACK to Pre Hurricane conditions. Lets face it as well.... It takes contractors to build a brand new home 6 months 1 home! An ISLAND that was devastated to be expected to have cleaning running water, electricity and FULLY functional utilities to a complete island is 4 months is rather unrealistic.

So we can "criticize" FEMA in terms of shutting off... But is FUNDING available to keep up the services. Nothing is free. The Estimated Damage to Puerto Rico is $40 Billion to $85 billion. We cannot even decided on a stupid $25 billion dollar wall..... Do we have $40-$85 billion to drop to pay for all repairs and services..... and then getting contractors, material etc there tomorrow to fix the place?


a little critical are we?



Ill say this.... I live on an Island, and I dread this moment everyday..... as its a real possibility..... but if we get wiped out by a Hurricane..... this is legitimately what we have to expect. It sucks but reality....is that..
 
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JANFU said:
PHOTOS: Puerto Rico is still devastated 4 months after Hurricane Maria - Business Insider


Read today they had halted all assistance- considered it a DFM.
Guess someone figured that out.
Click to expand...

I'm in PR working on the recovery. The same rumor about FEMA cutting and running was circulating down here as well. It caused a **** storm.

Hundreds of thousands of people still don't have power. The hotel I'm in is running on a generator. People in the mountains don't have running water because there's no power to run the pumps. People have put pipes up the side of mountains to catch stream water and divert it to the sides of roads for people to get water to boil and use.

I want everyone here to think about this a minute...

THESE PEOPLE ARE US CITIZENS!!! No less than I am, or anyone in my family back in North Carolina.

If this was happening in California, or New York, or even Idaho, there would be hell to pay. Anderson Cooper and Wolf Blitzer would be reporting live every ten minutes. MSNBC would have already set up a tent city for their reporters and would have chartered planes to get members of the DNC here to go out in the neighborhoods and be seen handing out bottled water and food.

But no, not here, not now. And, FEMA is wanting to reduce costs, and deny funding for multitudes of projects.

IT PISSES ME OFF.

These folks down here have smiles on their faces, where if this was happening in Chicago, or Atlanta, or any other similarly sized area of 3.4 million people there'd be riots and guns in the streets. They shake my hand every time they see me, no matter who they are, and no matter if they've never seen me before, and they say Gracias, without even knowing for sure what I'm going, they just know I'm trying to help.

FEMA has problems, and always has. FEMA's so weighted down by bureaucratic nit-picking that when they could be moving a disaster area toward recovery, they stifle the local governments with threats of not funding their efforts if they don't do it the FEMA way, and then they refuse to tell you what that way actually is - it's the most arbitrary and capricious process that exists in the federal government. They don't follow their own regulations, unless the situation would put those regulations in their favor.

Don't get me wrong. Puerto Rico's government (at all levels) has it's problems with corruption and cumbersome Latin-America (central-america-esque) style politics. The PR government taxes the hell out of anything coming to the island, including disaster aid and contractor's equipment - 11% Hacienda tax on the real value of anything entering the port, as an example, which means that the owner of a power line repair truck that's worth $200k has to pay a tax of $22k or they can't leave the port. We were able to get the tax on our equipment waived, but only for 6 months, and if we don't leave before that 6 months, they can seize the equipment if we try to leave after the 6 months without paying the tax.

It's sad. It's frustrating. I've gone through a whole bottle of Excedrin Migraine since I've been here, and bought a new bottle just yesterday.

I'll put some picks up in the Tavern over the next weeks if anyone's interested in seeing the roads still washed out, the power lines laying on the ground, and the people, the people still smiling and living life.
 
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Exactice said:
Great questions, but many other questions as well.

FEMA, Federal Emergency Management Agency? Not a Reconstruction Agency. So are they staffed and or funded to return an island to PRE Hurricane conditions or are they Meant to get immediate and life sustaining fixes to an Island?


I work in an industry that monitors FEMA. With that we deal with "LOSSES" not at that scale of destruction, but if someone loses their home its catastrophic to them. FEMA as a single entity that can step in to provide life saving and minimal support. BUT hopefully the individual has proper insurance and or additional private and public support. To Rebuild their home

FEMA is funded by our Tax Dollars? and Provides Support but is not the "General Contractor" that manages the rebuild of home/island.

It is the responsibility of the State/territory for returning the island BACK to Pre Hurricane conditions. Lets face it as well.... It takes contractors to build a brand new home 6 months 1 home! An ISLAND that was devastated to be expected to have cleaning running water, electricity and FULLY functional utilities to a complete island is 4 months is rather unrealistic.

So we can "criticize" FEMA in terms of shutting off... But is FUNDING available to keep up the services. Nothing is free. The Estimated Damage to Puerto Rico is $40 Billion to $85 billion. We cannot even decided on a stupid $25 billion dollar wall..... Do we have $40-$85 billion to drop to pay for all repairs and services..... and then getting contractors, material etc there tomorrow to fix the place?


a little critical are we?
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Possibly a good point about FEMA - I don't know what their precise mission is, it might be unreasonable to expect they help until PR is back to pre-hurricane state.

However, I think some form of help is necessary, as I understand PR was in fairly bad financial situation prior to hurricane.
 
Exactice said:
Great questions, but many other questions as well.

FEMA, Federal Emergency Management Agency? Not a Reconstruction Agency. So are they staffed and or funded to return an island to PRE Hurricane conditions or are they Meant to get immediate and life sustaining fixes to an Island?


I work in an industry that monitors FEMA. With that we deal with "LOSSES" not at that scale of destruction, but if someone loses their home its catastrophic to them. FEMA as a single entity that can step in to provide life saving and minimal support. BUT hopefully the individual has proper insurance and or additional private and public support. To Rebuild their home

FEMA is funded by our Tax Dollars? and Provides Support but is not the "General Contractor" that manages the rebuild of home/island.

It is the responsibility of the State/territory for returning the island BACK to Pre Hurricane conditions. Lets face it as well.... It takes contractors to build a brand new home 6 months 1 home! An ISLAND that was devastated to be expected to have cleaning running water, electricity and FULLY functional utilities to a complete island is 4 months is rather unrealistic.

So we can "criticize" FEMA in terms of shutting off... But is FUNDING available to keep up the services. Nothing is free. The Estimated Damage to Puerto Rico is $40 Billion to $85 billion. We cannot even decided on a stupid $25 billion dollar wall..... Do we have $40-$85 billion to drop to pay for all repairs and services..... and then getting contractors, material etc there tomorrow to fix the place?


a little critical are we?
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You're talking about the Individual Assistance (IA) Program that provides emergency short term assistance to people, individuals. FEMA was threatening to cut of the Public Assistance (PA) Program, which is the program that funds repairs to public infrastructure, removes debris, and provides emergency protective measures such as temporary power, power restoration, road and bridge repairs, temporary housing, and so on.
 
Mr Person said:
A certain contingent sees them as fake Americans
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What contingent would that be? They are US Citizens, and they have the same Constitutional protection to Due Process and Equal Protection under the law that every other US Citizen has.

FEMA's actions in PR have absolutely nothing to do with politics, and everything to do with a federal agency that needs a realignment of it's internal culture. FEMA was this way back in Katrina and it got Bush hammered because of it. They were this way under Obama. And, they're this way now. Changing the party in charge doesn't effect the problem with FEMA.
 
Beaudreaux said:
I'm in PR working on the recovery. The same rumor about FEMA cutting and running was circulating down here as well. It caused a **** storm.

Hundreds of thousands of people still don't have power. The hotel I'm in is running on a generator. People in the mountains don't have running water because there's no power to run the pumps. People have put pipes up the side of mountains to catch stream water and d.....
I want everyone here to think about this a minute...

THESE PEOPLE ARE US CITIZENS!!! No less than I am, or.....

If this was happening in California, or New York, or even Idaho, there would be hell to pay. Anderson Cooper and Wolf Blitzer would be reporting live every ten minutes. MSNBC would have already set up a tent city for their reporters and would have chartered plains to get memb.....
But no, not here, not now. And, FEMA is wanting to reduc.......

IT PISSES ME OFF.

These folks down here have smiles on their faces, where if this was happening in Chicago, or Atlanta, or any other similarly sized area of 3.4 million people there'd be riots and guns in the streets. They shake my hand every time they see me, no matter who they are, and no ma.....
FEMA has problems, and always has. FEMA's so weighted down by bureaucratic nit-picking that when they could be moving a disaster area toward recovery, they stifle the local governments with threats of not funding their efforts if they don't do it the FEMA way, and then they refuse to tell you what that way actually is - it's .....
Don't get me wrong. Puerto Rico's government (at all levels) has it's problems with corruption and cumbersome Latin-America (central-america-esque) style politics. The PR government taxes the hell out of anything coming to the island, including disaster aid and contractor's equipment - 11% Hacienda tax on the real value of anything entering the port, as an example, which means that the owner of a power line repair truck that's worth $200k has to pay a tax of $22k or they can't leave the port. We were able to get the tax on our equipment waived, but only for 6 months, and if we don't leave before that 6 months, they can seize the equipment if we try to leave after the 6 months without paying the tax.

It's sad. It's frustrating. I've gone through a whole bottle of Excedrin Migraine since I've been here, and bought a new bottle just yesterday.

I'll put some picks up in the Tavern over the next weeks if anyone's interested in seeing the roads still washed out, the power lines laying on the ground, and the people, the people still smiling and living life.
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Thank you for what you do and are doing, Good Luck and god speed.....

That being said.... 2 things that make it difficult. IF this was part of the contingent 48 states (i.e physically connected) SURELY this would get much better response. BUT its a Territory. Yes they are citizens, BUT still on an island.

The second part as eluded to is the LOCAL Government as well. THE PEOPLE are strong... but when a weak leadership and weak support system is there.. recovery will ultimately be difficult.


More so media bias is REALLY NOT helping the support.


Anyways to my imagination, Again it being an island the ability to build up especially an aging system and completely wiped infrastructure unfortunately will NOT be an easy task....... Again Good luck and sending good vibes to you!

The Mark said:
Possibly a good point about FEMA - I don't know what their precise mission is, it might be unreasonable to expect they help until PR is back to pre-hurricane state.

However, I think some form of help is necessary, as I understand PR was in fairly bad financial situation prior to hurricane.
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Exactly..... Its funny... there are "GO Fund" me pages that I see all the time... The other day, I saw a video on youtube where other youtubers were rallying for support as a Youtubers home burnt to the ground. The Youtuber didnt have insurance. So people were asking for donations. THATS fine and dandy..... but the question is why DIDNT the person have insurance?

This goes with the inhabitants. If they did have or DIDNT have....insurance... that is one questions..... the second real question is do we HAVE resources. is there Economic Demand Surge. like "price gougers" out there....... its HORRIBLE situation that will continue to be horrible..... So to say Its the Government's slow actions, FEMA slow action.... Well it starts small..... homeowner, insurance, local government, national engorgement, then those willing to do the work/ projects..... just imagine, How much wood needs to be shipped into puerto rico to re build homes. What about Power lines, transformers to power the island. The infrastructure was stated, IT was BANKRUPT and so old to begin with?
 
Exactice said:
Exactly..... Its funny... there are "GO Fund" me pages that I see all the time... The other day, I saw a video on youtube where other youtubers were rallying for support as a Youtubers home burnt to the ground. The Youtuber didnt have insurance. So people were asking for donations. THATS fine and dandy..... but the question is why DIDNT the person have insurance?

This goes with the inhabitants. If they did have or DIDNT have....insurance... that is one questions..... the second real question is do we HAVE resources. is there Economic Demand Surge. like "price gougers" out there....... its HORRIBLE situation that will continue to be horrible..... So to say Its the Government's slow actions, FEMA slow action.... Well it starts small..... homeowner, insurance, local government, national engorgement, then those willing to do the work/ projects..... just imagine, How much wood needs to be shipped into puerto rico to re build homes. What about Power lines, transformers to power the island. The infrastructure was stated, IT was BANKRUPT and so old to begin with?
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Opportunity to improve, not just rebuild?
 
Beaudreaux said:
You're talking about the Individual Assistance (IA) Program that provides emergency short term assistance to people, individuals. FEMA was threatening to cut of the Public Assistance (PA) Program, which is the program that funds repairs to public infrastructure, removes debris, and provides emergency protective measures such as temporary power, power restoration, road and bridge repairs, temporary housing, and so on.
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You said it though, there are people in the mountain, likely the inability to easily reach them. 4 months again to build? A home takes 6 months thats with a crew? You are on the ground so please take my points as assumptions and in no way disrespectful. I am imagining what it would be like on my Island should we have a similar situation.

Likely just to get power back on should our single power company be wiped to the ground... would be almost a joke... half our island is on Power lines.. the other half is under ground. If we managed to get generators/ transformers up, the ability to power half the island is there, the other half...I would imagine years.... before lines get run let alone enough contractors out.

Running water I know something as simple as a water main break the best they can do is water buffalos etc. Im sure you are dealing with all of it. Again $40-$85 BILLION to get the island back up. $500 million already pumped into the island we cant GET a $25 Billion wall agreed on over a course of years to be built, How are we going to ask for $40-$85 billion Over night?

I know the administration has already declared a state of emergency and emergency funding..... but what more?
 
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Exactice said:
You said it though, there are people in the mountain, likely the inability to easily reach them. 4 months again to build? A home takes 6 months thats with a crew? You are on the ground so please take my points as assumptions and in no way disrespectful. I am imagining what it would be like on my Island should we have a similar situation.

Likely just to get power back on should our single power company be wiped to the ground... would be almost a joke... half our island is on Power lines.. the other half is under ground. If we managed to get generators/ transformers up, the ability to power half the island is there, there other half...I would imagine years.... before lines get run let alone enough contractors out.

Running water I know something as simple as a water main break the best they can do is water buffalos etc. Im sure you are dealing with all of it. Again $40-$85 BILLION to get the island back up. $500 million already pumped into the island we cant GET a $25 Billion wall agreed on over a course of years to be built, How are we going to ask for $40-$85 billion Over night?

I know the administration has already declared a state of emergency and emergency funding..... but what more?
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I don't think you're disrespectful. I think you're asking damned good questions. I'm just too tired and sleepy to get into all the detail to answer them for you tonight. Don't stop asking those questions though.
 
The Mark said:
Opportunity to improve, not just rebuild?
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Well first off

1) Insurance "is meant to put a person back to how they were prior to the loss" so in essence one does not buy insurance to anticipate a loss and get a New car after the loss. The car is repaired to how it was or the replacement value of the car is paid out if the damage is beyond the value. they Do not pay for a new car.

1a) This goes with the HOME and infrastructure. The insurance companies are just writing policy limits likely... so if the value of the home is $200,0000 that is the value.

2) ACTUAL Resources. Price Gouging is probably madness right now. people are low balling contracts to get cheap work with most amount of payments, and just getting material to an island like that is probably a difficult task at that.

3) Who pays for the improvements? Puerto Rico's Electric company was bankrupt. The US Government pays, builds and replaces a new system who manages it yet again to fall into bankruptcy and ruins? Its like paying a drug addict with more drugs no?

4) WHO is willing to do the WORK on that island. With known bad government, low paid / government billed projects/ its going to the lowest bidder...... look what happened with that random electric company that got the BID, backed out 2 weeks later?


Its a mess..... and the People there suffer..... but lots of inherent messes.... not just Government, unfortunately.
 
Exactice said:
Well first off

1) Insurance "is meant to put a person back to how they were prior to the loss" so in essence one does not buy insurance to anticipate a loss and get a New car after the loss. The car is repaired to how it was or the replacement value of the car is paid out if the damage is beyond the value. they Do not pay for a new car.

1a) This goes with the HOME and infrastructure. The insurance companies are just righting policy limits likely... so if the value of the home is $200,0000 that is the value.

2) ACTUAL Resources. Price Gouging is probably madness right now. people are low balling contracts to get cheap work with most amount of payments, and just getting material to an island like that is probably a difficult task at that.

3) Who pays for the improvements? Puerto Rico's Electric company was bankrupt. The Government pays build and replace a new system who manages it yet again to fall into bankruptcy and ruins?

4) WHO is willing to do the WORK on that island. With known bad government, low paid / government billed projects/ its going to the lowest bidder...... look what happened with that random electric company that got the BID, backed out 2 weeks later?


Its a mess..... and the People there suffer..... but lots of inherent messes.... not just Government, unfortunately.
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If there isn't any insurance to cover, do we write off the places without it? And the people who live there?
Further, I'm wondering what shifty games the insurance companies are attempting to avoid paying for repairs, or reduce the payout, on insured homes. Because I am 100% sure they are attempting, unless the regulations and enforcement around such things are way better than I think.

I agree various things including price gouging are probably happening, and obviously shipping materials not available on the island will be expensive. Quality control of some sort is obviously necessary to ensure corners aren't cut.

If necessary, federal aid of some sort could assist with paying for improvements. It doesn't have to be only from PR's resources. Countering corruption should obviously be done.
 
The Mark said:
If there isn't any insurance to cover, do we write off the places without it? And the people who live there?
Further, I'm wondering what shifty games the insurance companies are attempting to avoid paying for repairs, or reduce the payout, on insured homes. Because I am 100% sure they are attempting, unless the regulations and enforcement around such things are way better than I think.

I agree various things including price gouging are probably happening, and obviously shipping materials not available on the island will be expensive. Quality control of some sort is obviously necessary to ensure corners aren't cut.

If necessary, federal aid of some sort could assist with paying for improvements. It doesn't have to be only from PR's resources. Countering corruption should obviously be done.
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WELL you bring up an excellent point, Insurance Companies are still businesses...LOL.... Just look at Harvey & Katrina, What Caused the Damage? Hurricane of Flood? Insurance companies still fighting about what the "Cause of loss" was.....


That being said.... homeowners insurance AS well is DIFFERENT from Hurricane Insurance. Hurricane has a LARGE deductible as well normally 2% of the Value, so the home is $200,000, you guessed it $40,000 is the deductible......

So lots of "GAMES" to be played on that end.


As for witting off... well......... I hate to say it.... but if you have no money in your pockets....and you walk by 7/11 a guy ask you for some spare change. What do you do? Keep walking? If the Government/ Fema just doesn't have the money (assuming the state or territory, doesnt have the money) Where does the money come from? Do we Print more? Do we raise the debt ceiling. At what cost and value is the Territory/ State?

I know that sounds @#$%% but its an honest question I have always wondered?


As for Federal Aid, Yes I swear again, place is in a State of Emergency and they already released a whole bunch of Fed money/ Federal aid, again... though the estimated damage is $40-$80Billion..... what is $500 Million going to do....
 
Beaudreaux said:
What contingent would that be? They are US Citizens, and they have the same Constitutional protection to Due Process and Equal Protection under the law that every other US Citizen has.

FEMA's actions in PR have absolutely nothing to do with politics, and everything to do with a federal agency that needs a realignment of it's internal culture. FEMA was this way back in Katrina and it got Bush hammered because of it. They were this way under Obama. And, they're this way now. Changing the party in charge doesn't effect the problem with FEMA.
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Well, we could start with those in states that received federal aid for various recent natural disasters and then opposed more than the minimal PR aid. I don't have a list ready.

I'm glad that you aren't among them, but all one really has to do is go back to the threads that were going about 2-5 weeks after the hurricane.
 
I'm not particularly sypathetic to the people of Puerto Rico. They had a private firm willing to help install power but they shat bricks when it turned out that the company was operating out of Montana and it would make the government employees of P.R. look like lazy hacks. No other company was willing to work under the terms and conditions established by the government of Puerto Rico. So **** 'em. They can get power back whenever the feds feel like clearing out their backlogged work schedules and taking care of it.
 
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Exactice said:
That being said.... homeowners insurance AS well is DIFFERENT from Hurricane Insurance. Hurricane has a LARGE deductible as well normally 2% of the Value, so the home is $200,000, you guessed it $40,000 is the deductible......
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I'm sure you meant 20% not 2%, and what you're referring to sounds like the co-insurance not the deductible. A deductible is only a fraction of the value of the claim of total home destruction. If the claim is good and the only thing stopping the claim payment from moving forward is the undpaid deductible then the people are being pure idiots.
 
reinoe said:
I'm sure you meant 20% not 2%, and what you're referring to sounds like the co-insurance not the deductible. A deductible is only a fraction of the value of the claim of total home destruction. If the claim is good and the only thing stopping the claim payment from moving forward is the undpaid deductible then the people are being pure idiots.
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Nope I meant 2% and I made an error I meant the Ultimate Deductible is $4,000 (NOT $40k sorry) so that leaves a net balance for the insured $196,000 of their totaled home. Again with respect to gouging and hiring contractors and just getting material, the standard replacement cost would not even be near the real cost after a natural disaster. So its not really a matter of paying or not paying its a matter that the insurance is no where near what a natural disaster would inflate cost and to get necessities to that community

Iniki on the island of Kauai in 1992 was a devastating $1.8 Billion for a much smaller island imagine what actual inflation cost is 26 years later..... The island has never fully recovered and didnt get much government assistance for 6 months..... Puerto Rico a territory MUCH greater in size than the Island of Kauai.... what do we expect?
 
Mr Person said:
Well, we could start with those in states that received federal aid for various recent natural disasters and then opposed more than the minimal PR aid. I don't have a list ready.

I'm glad that you aren't among them, but all one really has to do is go back to the threads that were going about 2-5 weeks after the hurricane.
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There are always some here that complain about spending any money for any thing. There are also some here that complain about "them" getting special treatment at their expense. Sometimes, admittedly, I can be partially in that group as a fiscal conservative, but not very often, and at no point in time would it be based on anything other than personal need versus personal capability versus personal responsibility (never about race, or ethnicity, or place of origin, etc.).

The US was founded by a people with a culture that taught each other to love thy neighbor and to help those that need help. Our forefathers would all band together to help raise a new barn when a neighbor's barn burned down. Some would bring wood, others would bring tools, and even others would bring horses and rigging to raise the rafters and stanchions. But, we've grown so large and so less self reliant that when one or more of us are put in harms way we don't have the individual resources to muster ourselves into a "barn raising" team of neighbors to help each other out. So, in 1970, Congress passed a law that took the place of barn raising teams of neighbors when an event was so large, and so devastating, that it created an imminent and impending hazard to life, public health and safety, and destroyed or impacted local infrastructure in a way that required an immediate response to stabilize and resurrect the local economy, as well as give short-term assistance through emergency unemployment insurance for those that their place of work was shut down due to the event, temporary housing for the masses that find themselves homeless following such events, emergency food and water distribution, and all the other things that we as neighbors used to do for each other.

Our population has grown to such a level, that not all (in fact very few) people that are left homeless from a disaster can rely on family and friends to give them a roof over their heads. The Red Cross and Salvation Army, the Southern Baptist Men and the Mennonite Men, as well as dozens of other PNP's work tirelessly feeding, clothing, and sheltering victims as well as provide cleaning of damaged houses and debris removal. But even those great organizations can only do so much.

We as a people, through FEMA, the SBA, the USDA, and many other federal agencies disaster relief programs, are carrying on our culture of helping our neighbors in need.

To me personally, it makes ethical and moral sense for us as a society to pool our resources in such a way as the federal government can with all its other resources that can be brought to bear. As a fiscal conservative, it also makes fiscal sense to me. If the government utilizes short term assistance to get the local government back running, remove hazards that can harm people or property, get the economy back on its feet, and gives people the short term assistance they need to get them back on their feet as well, then the high costs of long term reduction in productivity, economic stagnation, loss of jobs and products in the market place, increased reliance on public assistance programs like SNAP, Section 8 Housing, and so on are reduced or eliminated. Even though a Billion Dollar disaster is a hell of a lot of money, the short term investment by us all is MUCH cheaper than the long term negative economic effects and the exponential increase in reliance upon public tax dollars for long term subsistence. A one Billion Dollar disaster equates to a little less than $3.00 per US citizen. And, much of that is paid for by insurance companies, not taxpayers.

In short, it makes sense in both my heart, and my wallet.
 
Beaudreaux said:
There are always some here that complain about spending any money for any thing. There are also some here that complain about "them" getting special treatment at their expense. Sometimes, admittedly, I can be partially in that group as a fiscal conservative, but not very often, and at no point in time would it be based on anything other than personal need versus personal capability versus personal responsibility (never about race, or ethnicity, or place of origin, etc.).

The US was founded by a people with a culture that taught each other to love thy neighbor and to help those that need help. Our forefathers would all band together to help raise a new barn when a neighbor's barn burned down. Some would bring wood, others would bring tools, and even others would bring horses and rigging to raise the rafters and stanchions. But, we've grown so large and so less self reliant that when one or more of us are put in harms way we don't have the individual resources to muster ourselves into a "barn raising" team of neighbors to help each other out. So, in 1970, Congress passed a law that took the place of barn raising teams of neighbors when an event was so large, and so devastating, that it created an imminent and impending hazard to life, public health and safety, and destroyed or impacted local infrastructure in a way that required an immediate response to stabilize and resurrect the local economy, as well as give short-term assistance through emergency unemployment insurance for those that their place of work was shut down due to the event, temporary housing for the masses that find themselves homeless following such events, emergency food and water distribution, and all the other things that we as neighbors used to do for each other.

Our population has grown to such a level, that not all (in fact very few) people that are left homeless from a disaster can rely on family and friends to give them a roof over their heads. The Red Cross and Salvation Army, the Southern Baptist Men and the Mennonite Men, as well as dozens of other PNP's work tirelessly feeding, clothing, and sheltering victims as well as provide cleaning of damaged houses and debris removal. But even those great organizations can only do so much.
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In short, it makes sense in both my heart, and my wallet.
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I really dont want to steal your soap box..... but may I put my "opinion"

I 100% agree with the forefathers and MANY smaller communities are actually responsible and thrive as a society like you described.

The issue now is the "class breakdowns" are so WIDE and ethics and morals have changed. The Rich is Rich is Rich. The Poor is very poor and the middle class is doing EVERYTHING they can not to be poor.


When a natural disaster hits. Normally its the middle class and the poor that take the brunt as you are right the lack the support and resources. The sad part is, the poor unfortunately is that so they have no resources nor limited abilities as well to contribute. The middle class is so far affected they give up and throw their hands up in the air....... The government can only help so much before it collapses its own resources. There are "Philanthropist" But its just NOT enough to cover a natural disaster.

Finally is accountability, resources and society. If this happened again in a large city let say. New York or LA or Dallas, how long would it take? Much quicker.....lastly is the society/accountability. Puerto Rico is in a huge financial crisis to begin with....$70 billion in debt.... the territory by itself cant recover alone...... so then it MUST rely on the Government. Which again $40-$80 Billion in recovery?



I hate to say its one situation that just got worse and there is no easy answer......
 
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