WP: Report Calls Payments By FEMA Questionable

[Pirate Smile]

Report Calls Payments By FEMA Questionable
Investigators Cite $31 Million Disbursed in Florida

By John Mintz
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, May 19, 2005; Page A25

The Federal Emergency Management Agency made $31 million in questionable payments to residents of Miami-Dade County for damage from Hurricane Frances last September even though the storm caused only minimal damage in that area of Florida, government investigators said yesterday.

More than $8 million of that amount was given to 4,300 people to rent temporary housing even though they had not asked for the money, and in many cases their homes were almost completely undamaged by the storm, according to the inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security. The inspector general's report was made public yesterday at a hearing of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

FEMA paid to replace thousands of televisions, air conditioners, beds and other furniture, as well as a number of cars, without receipts, or proof of ownership or damage, and based solely on verbal statements by the residents, sometimes made in fleeting encounters at fast-food restaurants, said the committee's chairman, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine).

"It was a 'pay first, ask questions later' approach," Collins said. "The inspector general's report identifies a number of significant control weaknesses that create a potential for widespread fraud, erroneous payments and wasteful practices."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/18/AR2005051802076.html

I'm sure this didn't have anything to do with the election.:sarcasm:

[DeepModem Mom]

1. Busted! But will there be accountability, or consequences?

I doubt it.

[jojo54]

2. That sounds questionable to me

I was down there in Okeechobee county during Hurricane Jeanne; Ft Pierce specifically. Now Ft Pierce is the same area (same latitude and longitude) where Frances hit just 3 weeks or so before. There were some strange going's on there also. A house 2 doors down from my sister-in-law was totally destroyed by both hurricanes, and this poor man was getting nothing from FEMA. NOTHING! At the same time, there were people with minimal damage to their homes and they were getting checks for thousands of $$$.

Something is definately wrong here.

[DS1]

3. Hasn't the GAO learned anything? It was an ELECTION year!

Of course anyone got whatever the fuck they wanted.

Greedy Floridian Government-teat sucking hypocritical shitheads