Your house is just a pile of rubbles but it's not enough : FEMA to tornado families

reply to post by neo96


yeah its just stupid to drop your homeowners insurance when you pay off your house. You never know when something is going to happen and your going to need that insurance.

I can see making changes to your policy after you payoff the note on the house but not dropping it all together.

And on average you'll get a better payout from your insurance than you will from FEMA anyway.

reply to post by Vitchilo


Of course the house didn't sustain enough damage to be eligible. Can they prove there was a house there. Seriously I see all the sour puss comments about how people shouldn't go to FEMA. However what I read the issue was There wasn't enough damage. Maybe we should do away with FEMA all together. That way we can quit discussing Fema camps, get rid of the cost of salaries and storage all the other things we pay for. By cutting FEMA off that will free up more money to spend on the defense budget. We need all that military budget for more wars in the Middle East. We wouldn't want to help homeless Americans when we need to nation build places like Afghanistan. What ever are people thinking.

Reply to post by Xcathdra

So why doesn't the denial letter say to use his insurance first, instead of saying there was not enough damage?

You are on a totally different topic than the OP.




Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

I wish the government wasn't even involved in this stuff so much -
I like some stuff fema does like the food assistance and the shelters but past that I think they are too big for their britches - and yes, it's homeowners' insurance that needs to be paying and quickly.

At the same time, my heart goes out to these folks. Good grief times are so hard for so many people. It makes my heart hurt.

QUIT PAYING TAXES
QUIT PAYING TAXES
QUIT PAYING TAXES
KILL THE TAX MAN

reply to post by Lemon.Fresh


Because there is a time limit for FEMA AID. And FEMA can provide emergency funds to help your family while you are dealing with the insurance company IF you qualify for the aid. so they want everyone to apply for FEMA assistance ASAP so those people that actually need the help can get it sooner rather than later when it might be to late to apply for it.

Plus filing for assistance from FEMA can open up other assistance options from agencies other than FEMA and your insurance Company while your waiting on your insurance company and or FEMA to start paying out.

Just because you lost your house and everything you own in a natural disaster does not mean you're automatically approved for any FEMA assistance.

reply to post by antar


She has been to the doctor...twice. The shots and meds she is given seem to help her out but once she finishes all the medication, she is sick again within a few days.
Thank you for the link!
I spoke with her earlier about the situations of neighbors and friends. No-one seems to be getting any help from FEMA. So, the good people of Alabama are rallying together and making available campers, motorhomes, rental proporties, and anything else that can be livable until the people who lost everything can recupe. Concerts, pancake breakfasts, bake sales, carwashes, and all types of other fund raisers are ongoing with all proceeds going straight through to these devastated familes. I wouldn't be surprised if Habitat for Humanity has some plans to help out too.
FEMA? Who needs em anyway.....country folks can survive.

I really feel sorry for people who lost their homes. But if people didn't pay off their houses, technically it doesn't belong to them: It's like paying a LARGER amount of rent money. That's why there is affordable living, such as apartments and such. It's a sign to get a reality check in life that even "big brother" (i.e. taxpayers via FEMA and pals) cannot always be there to "help" pay for repairs. It's truly sad and pitiful that people cannot move on with their lives after a disaster.

While I agree that it would suck to have to take off of the govt to get back on your feet, some people don't have a choice and I won't judge them. I've been in their shoes, losing a home and everything I owned, granted, I had to dig my own self out. Only thing I took was hotel vouchers from Red Cross so my family had somewhere to go until I relocated, some donating clothing, toys, and food donations for the first three days.

I feel a sense of anger seeing a family being turned down for help, but we will help people in other countries first.
In the case of Katrina, yes, those people should use their cards for the basic needs, and I'm sure that many did not squander that, but those cards are not going to bring a house back, or a dead person back. Regardless of their status in society, race, or what have you, those people deserve to have some semblance of a home again.

Obama stood in front of two huge disasters in Alabama and in Missouri and exclaimed "We won't forget you".

Originally posted by redrose123
reply to post by Vitchilo

 

By cutting FEMA off that will free up more money to spend on the defense budget. We need all that military budget for more wars in the Middle East. We wouldn't want to help homeless Americans when we need to nation build places like Afghanistan. What ever are people thinking.

Yep. We can pay Pakistan a stipend to help us catch terrorists, but we can't give our own people money when their house folds in and nothing is left for them? You can't talk tough unless you have BTDT. Watch your home destruct like a bomb, and all your belongings strung out and destroyed. You have no way to dig out, so you do what you have to do. Lot's of tough talkers on the internet who have never gone through something this tragic.

reply to post by Vitchilo


At risk of posting an unpopular answer this could be a grammatical error or other paperwork address mixup. FEMA in the past has helped people but there are only so many people able to inspect and service each claim and so they have to make sure t's are crossed and i's are dotted before granting FEMA aide or they risk being called out for catering to falsified claims and some sort of bias...it is a Federal Agency.
If it slows down the process it is necessary. Can you see them trying to hire more govt employees even though theres an uptick in disasters? No way. People are already screaming nanny state and cut back on govt intervention.
I have a friend who bought some FEMA trailers and rents them out in Okachobee. Says most people complained about toxins so NOT be held liable for damage they did to borrowed mobile homes or else to sue to get something free from old Uncle Sammy.

reply to post by jerryznv


FEMA does in a way, I used to years ago do quality control for FEMA. Anyone who was missed during the initial sign up process, or who appealed cam eto my unit, Our unit was trained to reinspect, and help support folks who fell through the cracks in the process, and with a large entity like the feds, its very easy to fall through the cracks. I imagine ( from past experience) what is happening with all of these rejection letters is 1) Some incompitent inspector is too lazy to actually do an inspection. 2) the inspector hasnt been trained properly. 3) The family failed to give all thier insurance information to the inspector, or fill out the paperwork correctly. 4) Some ignorant typist is too lazy to send out the correct letter, and check the corroberating evidence.
If I sound harsh its because most FEMA workers are ill trained, and the offices are understaffed. People who work for FEMA are often over worked, without the oppurtunity to get home to see thier families, and get away from the disaster scenes, they burn out very quickly. Beleive me I speak from experience. I once spent a year at one site without the oppurtunity to go home, working 17 hours a day 7 days a week for the whole year. It was common practice.

The folks who were denied they need to appeal as its pretty obvious from the pictured damage that they are eligible, AFTER thier insurance pays of course.

reply to post by pikypiky


HAte to tell you it has nothing to do with wether thier house has a current mortgage on it or not. The moneys goes directly to the owner of residence, its up to the person living in the house to repair it, not the mortgage company

reply to post by Lemon.Fresh


Specific instructions are handed out when you apply for aid, the packed tells you step by step who to contact first. More than likely they have contacted their insurance company, but the co. hasnt responded yet, so they pushed the FEMA application through without waiting, its possible to receive a denial that way, and then have to go back and do it all over again because the home owner didnt read the packet

Like many people already said, FEMA is not responsible for re-building your home after a natural disaster. They may provide temporary trailer housing and food/water, but it's not a get out of disaster free card.

reply to post by Xcathdra


Do you work for FEMA? Where I live FEMA gave tornado victims housing trailers under a grant and then a year or so later demanded that the people pay for them because they were given to them in error. Just like the OP people who's home was totally destroyed but the foundation. FEMA IS NOT here to help!

And, everyone is entitled to their opinion about FEMA Camps including you, but I have to respectfully disagree with you.

Wow I am disgusted right now... The thing that grosses me out more is the agents who are out in the field who know who they are denying and what they are denying... Its sick... unhonorable... and who wants to live knowing you did that to another human being... Stuff like this just shows me how much you cant rely on anyone but yourself to survive... remember that... because its only you in the end...

reply to post by antar


Just because you don't like the policies, doesnt' make them any less true. Every person who loses a house is not entitled to a new one from the government. These things are sad, no one is denying that.

But it is only a last resort option...like it or not.

reply to post by Rossa


And you clearly don't know how a mortgage works. IT IS NOT YOUR HOUSE UNTIL YOU REPAY THE BANK!

So if you loose your house to a natural disaster, fire, flood etc. Your insurance company pays the bank first, then if there is any money left after the mortgage on your destroyed house has been paid you'll get the left over money.

The money from FEMA goes directly to the person if they qualify.

So yes it does matter if you have a mortgage on your house or not. If you have a mortgage your going to pocket less money from your insurance co. than if you didn't have one. And whether you have insurance or not also effects your qualification for FEMA aid as well. IF you have more than enough insurance your are automatically denied by FEMA because YOU DO NOT NEED THEIR HELP. IF you have to little insurance then you'll qualify for FEMA Aid. where the gray area is, is when you have just enough insurance to cover your loses but maybe not enough cash on hand to pay for food and temporary shelter for your family. those families are the ones that slip through the cracks.

Bottom line is it doesn't matter what FEMA does.

The agency gets criticized when applicants receive rejections due to insufficient damage or other reasons. On the other hand, FEMA was blistered by the General Accounting Office and the media for wasting millions after the 2004 Florida hurricanes and Hurricane Katrina for overpaying on contracts and awarding grants to unqualified individuals.

They are damned if they do and damned if they don't.

Originally posted by kissitgoodbye
reply to post by Xcathdra

 

Do you work for FEMA? Where I live FEMA gave tornado victims housing trailers under a grant and then a year or so later demanded that the people pay for them because they were given to them in error. Just like the OP people who's home was totally destroyed but the foundation. FEMA IS NOT here to help!

And, everyone is entitled to their opinion about FEMA Camps including you, but I have to respectfully disagree with you.

So you would rather see resources wasted on people who dont qualify, which drains those resources from people who do qualify? Hate to break it to you, but if you go to your bank and check your account and find you have 3 million dollars in their, when you are only supposed to have 1200 dollars there is an issue. A mistake was made... If you withdraw that money and spend it all, you are responsible for paying the entire amount back.

Why?

because it was not yours in the first place.

FEMA is there to help, but what you and several other expect is for FEMA to lead, which it does not do. FEMA assists local and state governments by getting resources they need to deal with the problem at hand.

The best example I can give is this:

Take UPS and their commercials for logisitcs.
Take a business that sells a product all over North America...

The business is the leader in that scenario, and UPS does nothing but provide the company the resources / infrastructure to get their items all over North America.

Now, if that business makes a bad decision, ends up losing money and customers it will eventually go bankrupt and shut down.

What you and several other people are doing is blaming UPS for the business failing.

FEMA can deliver 500 tons of food and water to a devestated area. Its up to local leadership to get those resources to where they are needed.

FEMA can write a check for 30k dollars, but its up to the family to justify the need and to use the money in its intended manner.

FEMA can provide temporary shelter to people, but its incumbent on the people seeking that assistance to be honest about their situation.

See the pattern here? FEMA can open the floodgate of resources and assistance, but its up to the people seeking that assistance to justify their reasons for asking for it. SEMA (State EMA) also opens the floodgates of assistance, and like its FEderal counterpart, the people seeking that aid are required to justify their request.

The fact a lot of you seem so fixated on FEMA, while completely and totally ignoring all other processes / resources / levels of Gobernment again reinforces the notion that people have no clue / concept / inkling of knowledge of how FEMA works, let alone disaster response.

In addition to FEMA, you have SEMA (State Emergency Managment), NGO's, American RedCross, donations etc etc etc and last - Insurance. The resources available to an area devestated by a disaster is extensive and goes way beyond the list I just gave.

I have stated it before and I will again here -
People really need to learn about government and FEMA before opening their mouths.

As far as the comment about opinions go I disagree. What we are discussing is the role of FEMA in disaster response which follows specific guidelines. Just because you dont agree with a policy / action by FEMA, doesnt make your view right by declaration.

Its one thing to hate FEMA based on fact. Its somethng else entirely to hate FEMA while refusing to educate yourself on how it works.