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This irritates the heck outta me!!
This article is so true. It just shows that if you sit on your a$s, whine and cry about being a mistreated ethnic group, and do absolutely nothing for yourself or others, then the government will come rushing to your aid. 
But if you are a respectable hard working person, who will actually do things and work to help better a situation, and were actually smart enough to make preperations when a hurricane was coming, then the government figures you need little or no help at all.
Im so freaking sick and tired of 2 years later hearing on the news "what are the Katrina evacuees gonna do when they have no more government housing to live in??" Blah blah blah I honestly could care less what they do when thier filthy smelly trailers are taken away. All the while Galveston gets little to no help and no coverage of the damage or the ones affected only months after the storm hit us.
Oh well. At least this was published and maybe others can also see how wrong FEMA is. When you see the actual $$ numbers it is rediculous. See below.
Did FEMA Shortchange Ike Victims?
Local 2 Investigates Ike Versus Katrina
POSTED: Thursday, May 28, 2009
UPDATED: 8:13 am CDT May 29, 2009
HOUSTON -- Local 2 Investigates has uncovered evidence showing that victims of Hurricane Ike appear to have been treated much differently than victims of Hurricane Katrina by the federal government agency charged with helping after a storm.
WATCH IT:
Did FEMA Shortchange Ike Victims?
READ IT: FEMA Assistance: Hurricanes Ike Vs. Katrina
Our investigation compared FEMA's help to victims, and we discovered a widening gap in assistance between storms. It's an investigation sparking strong reaction from Galveston to Houston, Austin to Washington, D.C.
The impact of Hurricane Katrina is clear -- the storm hammered Mississippi and Louisiana. It flooded New Orleans and left hundreds of thousands stranded.
Hurricane Ike hit Galveston and Houston last September. It wiped homes from the map and left millions without power. It became the third-costliest storm in U.S. history.
They are two hurricanes with two groups of victims in need, but Local 2 Investigates uncovered there may have been two different standards of assistance applied by FEMA.
We compared FEMA individual assistance payouts per person after Hurricane Ike to after Hurricane Katrina.
When we compared the total assistance to all applicants from storm to storm, we found an even larger gap.
After Hurricane Katrina, 1,080,731 people applied for all types of FEMA assistance. FEMA paid out $5.2 billion in help. The average payment per applicant was $4,860.
After Hurricane Ike, 734,130 people applied for FEMA assistance. FEMA paid out $530 million in help. The average payment per applicant was $722.
"Until you have the data, you're just another guy with the opinion," said Perry. "I'm no longer just a guy with an opinion. Now we have facts that back up Texas is treated differently than Louisiana by two administrations now. That's not right."
Perry called the differences "unfair" and "offensive."
"The message to Texans that you work hard, you take care of business and if something bad happens, we're not going to take as good care of you, is so backwards," Perry said.
The differences in FEMA help have a much deeper meaning on Galveston Island.
"It makes you question the process," said Galveston homeowner Bobby Enriquez.
Enriquez is still finishing the final repairs inside his home. Ike's storm surge damaged two houses he owns in the heavily-flooded fish village neighborhood, just blocks away from the Bolivar ferry.
Enriquez did receive FEMA help for rent following the storm. He also qualified for a federal loan for rebuilding, but he never received any money. Enriquez and many others we talked to in Galveston said they felt FEMA's support wasn't all there.
"There is a lot of difference (between Ike and Katrina), so I would seriously have concern with it."
It's a concern shared by the two elected officials who became the face of Houston's response to Hurricane Ike.
"When the levees broke in Katrina, you did have more structures that were totally destroyed," said Houston Mayor Bill White. "But how about those people who suffered very extensive damage to their structures? Those folks are feeling, 'Where is FEMA for me?'"
White and Harris County Judge Ed Emmett say our investigation raises an important question: Did the national attention, lack of preparation, and added political pressure during Hurricane Katrina end up costing Ike victims the FEMA help they deserved?
"In our case, our residents went out and did what they needed to do and those with insurance took care of themselves," said Emmett. "It's a shame that counts against you, but I think in a way it did."
FEMA refused all requests to answer any questions about the differences. We made those initial requests on May 6. In an e-mail, a FEMA spokesperson would only say "every disaster is different -- from geography to demographics."
"We're going to have some serious talks with them," said U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, a Republican from Austin.
McCaul says he wants to force FEMA to answer the questions raised by our investigation. He's calling for a congressional investigation into the differences we uncovered.
"The point you're making on the large discrepancy between Katrina and Ike deserves the Congress taking a look at that and having the GAO (Government Accountability Office) do a study and have some hearings on it," McCaul said.
If you have a news tip or question for KPRC Local 2 Investigates, drop them an e-mail or call their tipline at (713) 223-TIPS (8477).
But if you are a respectable hard working person, who will actually do things and work to help better a situation, and were actually smart enough to make preperations when a hurricane was coming, then the government figures you need little or no help at all.
Im so freaking sick and tired of 2 years later hearing on the news "what are the Katrina evacuees gonna do when they have no more government housing to live in??" Blah blah blah I honestly could care less what they do when thier filthy smelly trailers are taken away. All the while Galveston gets little to no help and no coverage of the damage or the ones affected only months after the storm hit us.
Oh well. At least this was published and maybe others can also see how wrong FEMA is. When you see the actual $$ numbers it is rediculous. See below.
Did FEMA Shortchange Ike Victims?
Local 2 Investigates Ike Versus Katrina
POSTED: Thursday, May 28, 2009
UPDATED: 8:13 am CDT May 29, 2009
HOUSTON -- Local 2 Investigates has uncovered evidence showing that victims of Hurricane Ike appear to have been treated much differently than victims of Hurricane Katrina by the federal government agency charged with helping after a storm.
WATCH IT:
Did FEMA Shortchange Ike Victims? READ IT: FEMA Assistance: Hurricanes Ike Vs. Katrina
Our investigation compared FEMA's help to victims, and we discovered a widening gap in assistance between storms. It's an investigation sparking strong reaction from Galveston to Houston, Austin to Washington, D.C.
The impact of Hurricane Katrina is clear -- the storm hammered Mississippi and Louisiana. It flooded New Orleans and left hundreds of thousands stranded.
Hurricane Ike hit Galveston and Houston last September. It wiped homes from the map and left millions without power. It became the third-costliest storm in U.S. history.
They are two hurricanes with two groups of victims in need, but Local 2 Investigates uncovered there may have been two different standards of assistance applied by FEMA.
We compared FEMA individual assistance payouts per person after Hurricane Ike to after Hurricane Katrina.
- When it comes to FEMA housing assistance, 74 percent of Hurricane Katrina victims who applied for housing help were approved by FEMA and received assistance. After Hurricane Ike, FEMA only approved housing assistance for 17 percent of Ike victims who applied for that same help.
- FEMA also offers what it called "other needs assistance" for non-housing related expenses. We found the average FEMA payment after Hurricane Katrina was $5,659 per victim. After Hurricane Ike, the average payment was $1,754 per victim. That's three times less than what Katrina victims received.
When we compared the total assistance to all applicants from storm to storm, we found an even larger gap.
After Hurricane Katrina, 1,080,731 people applied for all types of FEMA assistance. FEMA paid out $5.2 billion in help. The average payment per applicant was $4,860.
After Hurricane Ike, 734,130 people applied for FEMA assistance. FEMA paid out $530 million in help. The average payment per applicant was $722.
"Until you have the data, you're just another guy with the opinion," said Perry. "I'm no longer just a guy with an opinion. Now we have facts that back up Texas is treated differently than Louisiana by two administrations now. That's not right."
Perry called the differences "unfair" and "offensive."
"The message to Texans that you work hard, you take care of business and if something bad happens, we're not going to take as good care of you, is so backwards," Perry said.
The differences in FEMA help have a much deeper meaning on Galveston Island.
"It makes you question the process," said Galveston homeowner Bobby Enriquez.
Enriquez is still finishing the final repairs inside his home. Ike's storm surge damaged two houses he owns in the heavily-flooded fish village neighborhood, just blocks away from the Bolivar ferry.
Enriquez did receive FEMA help for rent following the storm. He also qualified for a federal loan for rebuilding, but he never received any money. Enriquez and many others we talked to in Galveston said they felt FEMA's support wasn't all there.
"There is a lot of difference (between Ike and Katrina), so I would seriously have concern with it."
It's a concern shared by the two elected officials who became the face of Houston's response to Hurricane Ike.
"When the levees broke in Katrina, you did have more structures that were totally destroyed," said Houston Mayor Bill White. "But how about those people who suffered very extensive damage to their structures? Those folks are feeling, 'Where is FEMA for me?'"
White and Harris County Judge Ed Emmett say our investigation raises an important question: Did the national attention, lack of preparation, and added political pressure during Hurricane Katrina end up costing Ike victims the FEMA help they deserved?
"In our case, our residents went out and did what they needed to do and those with insurance took care of themselves," said Emmett. "It's a shame that counts against you, but I think in a way it did."
FEMA refused all requests to answer any questions about the differences. We made those initial requests on May 6. In an e-mail, a FEMA spokesperson would only say "every disaster is different -- from geography to demographics."
"We're going to have some serious talks with them," said U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, a Republican from Austin.
McCaul says he wants to force FEMA to answer the questions raised by our investigation. He's calling for a congressional investigation into the differences we uncovered.
"The point you're making on the large discrepancy between Katrina and Ike deserves the Congress taking a look at that and having the GAO (Government Accountability Office) do a study and have some hearings on it," McCaul said.
If you have a news tip or question for KPRC Local 2 Investigates, drop them an e-mail or call their tipline at (713) 223-TIPS (8477).
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