FEMA to California - SCREW YOU!!!

[autorank]

I was listening to Blitzer interview the head of FEMA briefly today. I thought I was hearing mixed messages so I went the the transcripts. The big question: what about people who are under insured or uninsured - will the federal government help. This FEMA guy gave about three answers. The first was a blowoff, the second was sure, taken care of; and the third was we'll give them some change and a hotel, after that tough luck. CAN THESE GUYS EVER JUST TELL THE DAMN TRUTH??? Blitzer pursued this guy until he got the answer. Good for him, for a change.

-----------------------

CNN TRANSCRIPTS Oct 24, 2007

WOLF BLITZER: First of all, are things coming together right now the way they should, or are there problems emerging?

DAVID PAULISON, FEMA ADMINISTRATOR: I haven't seen any problems yet. I think it's working very well. I mean, you have little bumps in the road here and there, but the spirit of the people here is great. SNIP

BLITZER: Is it too early to guess how much this is going to cost the federal government to come in with assistance to help, especially those individuals who have lost their homes and didn't have home insurance?

PAULISON: Yes, we don't have those figures yet, Wolf. I think, you know, we'll get those as we go along.

ANSWER ONE(BELOW): He’s implying, sure the president will take care of the uninsured an dunderinsured.

The president did sign the major disaster declaration this morning. That allowed us to open up the individual assistance piece (ph) so that we can get those people who either don't have insurance or are underinsured rental assistance, things like that. So, you know, at the end of the day we'll figure it out. =>But right now we're not worried about that part of it.<=

NOTE: “But right now we’re not worried about that part of it.” Why not? That’s the big question if you got screwed on your insurance or couldn’t get it at all. He may not be “worried about that part” but there are a lot of people who are. FEMA is directly evading at this point. Wolf pursues the matter.

BLITZER: So can I just assume -- and correct me if I'm wrong -- that if there are people out there who didn't have home insurance, didn't have fire insurance, and lost everything, the federal government will help them out and they'll be able to rebuild their homes?

ANSWER TWO (BELOW): "That’s correct." So they will get federal assistance to rebuild their homes.

PAULISON: That's correct. We can -- what we want people to do is we have our 1-800-621-FEMA number, or they can go to the FEMA.gov Web site and register themselves.

ANSWER THREE (BELOW): Well, not really. FEMA quickly says that the homeowners without insurance will get $28,200.

We'll send an inspector out. If they did not have insurance or they're underinsured, we can give them up to $28,200 to help them get back on their feet.

NOTE: Wolf pursues the point below. Will they get more than the $28,200 he asks.

BLITZER: Right away. But that's a short-term assistance, financial assistance package, but in the long term, they'll get more? Is that a fair assumption?

FEMA BACK PEDDLES (BELOW). They’ll “have a place to stay,” you know like a hotel or shelter.

PAULISON: The long term is it's going to be a long-term housing issue. And that's where we'll work with them, we'll work with the Red Cross, work with HUD, to make sure that people are not without a place to stay.

There's going to be a handful of people that are here that have lost their homes that cannot go back. So we'll need to put them in hotels or motels or into apartments or into some permanent housing to help them get back on their feet. I've got to tell you, though...

BLITZER: Go ahead.

PAULISON: I'll just try to tell you, the spirit here is just remarkable.

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. And... so it begins

[autorank]

2. Yes it does. They're a bunch of cheap bastards unless it involves destroying a country

or flying in their imperial jets.

I heard this in the background and thought, :wtf: is this guy saying. Then I read the transcript.

He didn't want to talk about it, then tried to make it sound like el jeffe had it all taken care of,
then Wolf, to his credit, squeezed the truth out of the Mandarin.

Enough with these crooks. Go Directly to Jail, period.

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. And here is where the brilliant initial respose

will go to hell

This is also part of what Naomi Klein calls, disaster capitalism

[autorank]

3. Yes it does. They're a bunch of cheap bastards unless it involves destroying a country

or flying in their imperial jets.

I heard this in the background and thought, :wtf: is this guy saying. Then I read the transcript.

He didn't want to talk about it, then tried to make it sound like el jeffe had it all taken care of,
then Wolf, to his credit, squeezed the truth out of the Mandarin.

Enough with these crooks. Go Directly to Jail, period.

[Whisp]

32. class warfare, as always. nt

[CountAllVotes]

5. welcome to New Orleans

Katrina #2 ...

:dem:

[autorank]

10. That's the way it is.

It's Katrina everywhere these folks show up. They're a plague.

:hi:

[baldguy]

6. $28k in SoCal?

That'll buy a shed - not replace a $400k house.

[autorank]

11. A used shed;)

And not in a desirable location.

Many of those folks bought their homes when they were $150,000. Now with the ability to rebuild,
they can do OK because the real value there is the land. But not with FEMA, they'll make it hard.

But as Bush said, "It's a hard job, hard, hard..."

[Raksha]

36. Nah...28K in SoCal buys a fairly decent trailer. n/t

[Kajsa]

46. Are they kidding?!?

Do they have any idea what housing costs out here?

[merh]

7. two years after Katrina and I am hoping my house will be

complete by the middle of next month.

There are still approximately 13,000 in FEMA trailers in Mississippi.

The price of materials has increased, astronomically from before the storm to now.

All I can say is, my prayers are being said for the folks in California.

.

[autorank]

22. We're struggling with these crooks coast to coast.

I hope your journey ends soon, favorably.

And these people dismiss the impact of climate change. How will they begin to handle that?

[lovuian]

8. You knew it was coming didn't you

this government will do NOTHINg for you

[Window]

21. "Heck of a job Brownie" said he was available.

I read that earlier today on DU and screamed.





:rofl:




Peace:thumbsup:

[gateley]

9. Shameful and heartbreaking. nt

[autorank]

12. Well, you're right but they've had a lot of practice at that. n/t

[gateley]

24. You've got that right. Notice I didn't say "surprising". nt

[legaltender]

13. I was involved in some litigation

from the 2003 fires, and it astonishes me how many people let their insurance lapse after they pay off their mortgages. They really don't understand that insurance isn't just to pacify their lenders, but it's a necessary protection against loss of their biggest asset.

That said, why should the government pay to rebuild houses for people who didn't have insurance? Wouldn't that policy just encourage people not to get insurance in the first place, increasing the cost to all of us in the long run?

[many a good man]

17. People don't have insurance on their house???!!!

That's pretty dumb.

[razors edge]

18. Actually, thats not a bad idea.

Why don't we just let the feds take all the phone tappers and tax agents and let them handle homeowner claims and kick the insurance companies the hell out.

The feds can just print the money and we would all save a bundle.

[Celebration]

19. yeah, I mean really

You are correct. If people choose not to get insurance, I am not sure why my tax money should cover it. Sure we can offer some temporary assistance, but I don't want to pay to build someone's home who could have easily gotten insurance. It's too bad, and I feel sorry for them, but that is what insurance is for. Tax dollars are to make sure people don't go hungry or die from exposure to heat/cold--last resort type things.

[autorank]

25. What a generous lot you are. These people need a loan not contempt. You may be next.

The insurance rates in Southern California have been increasing substantially. This pushes some people, middle and working class, out of the market.

The home owners policies that are required by lenders may lend a false sense of security and not pay off even close to the replacement cost of the home.

Time

The under insured, for whatever reasons, are short and need help. They did have insurance.

Those uninsured in Southern California might wonder why LOANS made available in other parts of the country are not made available to them.

Those with partial damage end up waiting much longer due to the effort put to rebuild totally destroyed structures.

Prices for materials skyrocket in these scenarios. Therefore, many will find themselves uninsured.

San Jose Mercury

That didn't stop Allstate Corp., the nation's second-largest property-casualty insurer, from announcing earlier this year that it would no longer underwrite new California homeowner policies, citing risks from wildfires and earthquakes. The company is also seeking a 12 percent rate hike for its existing customers.

Major insurers are inspecting homes in high-risk areas throughout the West and threatening to cancel coverage if owners don't clear brush or take other precautions.

"Yeah, it's pretty worrisome. They might start not insuring us, that's pretty scary,"

Talk to someone in Florida about insurance. The majors left the state and do business through agents, who can go broke in a loss situation and guess what, you can’t go after the underlying insurer. Thanks Jeb Bush. But with attitudes like these, why wouldn’t Jebbie and “The Money Party” get it’s way. Other parts of the Southeast simply have no insurance available.

But California has this to look forward to; the experience of New Orleans:

Louisiana cannot generate and preserve wealth without insurance, and it cannot obtain insurance except at the market price. But that price remains a mystery. Billions of dollars in insurance settlements — received by local businesses and homeowners as payouts on their pre-Katrina policies — bloat New Orleans banks and brokerage houses. The money isn't moving because the people are paralyzed. It's as if they have been forced to shoot craps without knowing the odds. Businesses are finding it harder than ever to buy insurance, and homeowners are getting letters from Allstate, State Farm and the others telling them that their long relationship must now come to an end. "I've been in the business 45 years," says a New Orleans insurance broker named Happy Crusel, "and I've never seen anything remotely like this." An entire city is now being reshaped by an invisible force: the price of catastrophic risk. But it's the wrong price.

So there you go, but keep mocking Californians. You may be next.

[legaltender]

28. Not mocking anybody.

In fact, I live between the Witch and Harris fires in San Diego. But nothing in the links you posted says that insurance is unavailable. It is available, and it's required by lenders, and it should be continued after the mortgage is paid off. That's all I'm saying.

Where is the mocking?

[autorank]

34. See below

Why give people a hard time when they're screwed. They're not asking for free money, it's a loan. So they made a mistake. What's logical. Make them homeless or help them get a loan to rebuild, which works better for everyone, btw.

You're over simplifying imho. It's not just, hey it's available, they should have it. There are other factors, mentioned above and below, that take it beyond a simple judgment. The three responses below yours were the mocking ones, at least as I saw it, so sorry to group you with them. But I think you response is too cut and dried.

Besides, the dodging and weaving of the FEMA guy is the main point. He just couldn't say no, that's it, no help past the $28,000. I would be interested to know the repayment rate for these post disaster loans, how they perform, etc.

There are any number of problems that can come up, not just being uninsured. The under insured may fall into that category because of rising costs or price increases in the post fire environment. Should they be penalized?

You saw the State Farm statement. They're done. Who else will come in?

Florida Homeowners Insurance
New York Times

Private insurance rates are not much cheaper. State Farm is asking to increase its homeowners' insurance rates 74 percent on average, according to the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation. Lynn Martin, a State Farm customer in Punta Gorda, said her premiums could increase to $3,000 a year, from about $2,000.

"I don't know what anyone's going to do who's a working person," said Mrs. Martin, who battened her home and survived Hurricane Charley in 2004 with relatively little damage. "Then you add in the factor of the higher cost of fuel, electricity. Where's it going to stop?"

SNIP

Mr. Polsky, president of another homeowners' group, said that was not enough or soon enough. His premium has doubled in the past year, and he faces another increase by summer's end that he does not think he can pay. Without homeowners' insurance, he said, he faces bank foreclosure.

"I may lose my house because of this," said Mr. Polsky, who has already boxed up much of his belongings in anticipation of a move. "If it increases like they propose, I don't know what we will do. Nobody will buy it in the shape it's in, and nobody can pay the insurance."

--------------------

Look how long it took to sort out claims for Katrina. Even with insurance that covers what you intended to be covered, there will be delays.

[stevedeshazer]

14. And Blitzer, the Good German, just sticks to the script

1984, baby. Or 2007?

As to the "it's working very well" line, where have I heard that one before?

[autorank]

26. Steve, could I pay you to remove that picture;) Yep, he soldiered on.

I mean he had the guy, ran him to ground and they gave him a Get Out of Jail Free card.

What a putz. Where's Jack Cafferty when we need him?

:shrug:

[freethought]

15. FEMA is getting more polite with time

Usually they're saying "Drop Dead A_____e"
Housing problem? FEMA says "NO PROBLEM! WE'VE GOT TRAILERS FROM THE KATRINA FIASCO GALORE!!"

[Raksha]

37. Leftover FEMA trailers from Hurricane Katrina?

Aren't those the ones reeking of formaldehyde that made people sick to live in them?

[bonito]

16. Hey if you don't need blackwater with guns

There not interested you know, seems to be this misadministration's mo.

[begin_within]

20. They do have some very nice FEMA trailers now; here's a prototype:

[autorank]

27. Is that the rustic look on post catastrophe housing?

[begin_within]

29. And in beautiful Bombay Beach, on the lovely (and polluted) Salton Sea - no fire danger

except maybe from the lake catching on fire from all the chemicals.

[SammyWinstonJack]

23. bu$h maladministration to Americans............Screw you!

So what's new?


But keep spending cause we need your tax dollars!

[NV Whino]

30. California to FEMA--screw you!

[Dukkha]

31. Heck of a job Paulie!

:mad:

[Wiley50]

33. Moldy, Slightly- Used FEMA Trailers headed west across I-10

"Yeah, They'll have a place to stay"

[autorank]

38. "Everything happens for the best in this best of all possible worlds."

I-10, huh, I may take a look myself. Good place to hide out, new identity and all that.

But Wiley50, what happens when the shit really hits the fan with climate change? This is going to
get very ugly. God forbid we have a government that actually plans for this, regulates in the
citizen's interest and thinks of the common good? Well, according to a bunch of the Bushites, God
did forbid it, but I don't believe them. My sources tell me differently.

[Wiley50]

40. Actually, those Fema trailers have proven bad news for those who have lived in them

I-10 is a beeline from NOLA to SD

And, as for global warming, it should be clear traffic

because Phoenix and others at that latitude along the way

will be deserted when air conditioners don't work anymore


But, Mike, I think you should be thinking about getting as far from the beltway as possible

DC has some bad karma. Just a matter of time

[autorank]

43. What, just because the native Americans called it "the place the Devil lives" and

"the place nobody goes." I'm in the Pynchonesque landscape, as its been called. That's OK. In
just a few months the greatest negative force in the world will be gone and we'll have...oh, somebody
else but "the presence" will have passed. Where ever "it" goes will be the danger zone.

We'll have a progressive or populist Democrat who really takes on what ails this country and we'll
all live hapily ever after;) Wanna buy a bridge?

[Beerboy]

35. The best news Californians heard all day;

what did FEMA do for NOLA? California could easily be their own country; they might recognize they don't need the feeble ministrations of the Federal Government, on a string.

[autorank]

39. That's where the dissolution will start. You are on target.

And even Arnie has to pretend he's a moderate liberal out there.

Brilliant! Bush ruins us overseas and then gives states the idea of seceding. Tennessee already
has a group trying to do that.

[Beerboy]

44. When I first got this computer a couple years ago,

I used to see all kinds of spam from some Free State project, the idea being that everyone of their ideology swarm a state and take it over politically. It's an intriguing idea, but I don't have to face conundrums like that. I live MN 5th congressional-district.

[Me.]

41. That's Correct

K & R

[bluedigger]

42. I just loves to hates me some FEMA!

I started with FEMA last month as a civilian contractor. Guess what? I didn't have to take a loyalty oath. In fact, I met a lot of (gasp!) liberals - both civilian and federal employees! Some of them even profess to be (gasp!) patriots. And many of them seem to be (gasp!) competent and intelligent people, who actually believe in service to our country, and spend extended periods of time away from their families and friends to help those less fortunate.

Just as it is bad policy to hate the troops because of stupid politicians and bureaucrats, it is a disservice to pile on an entire agency because of a need to point fingers and offer unrealistic solutions. $28,000 isn't enough? No problem! Make it a $100,000! For every $million, we'll bail out 10 lucky property owners. I mean, we're the government, we can just print more money, as much as we need, and add it to the Iraq (and impending Iran) war tab. The great grandkids can pay it off. For that matter, I need a home myself - why shouldn't I be entitled to a government loan? Why should someone's bad luck make them more entitled than me?

It may shock you, but FEMA is actually subject to laws regarding what it can and cannot do, and is funded by appropriations from Congress. Here is a link to FEMA's own on line training, which is open to anybody! You can take a whole course and they won't even ask who you are, unless you want to take the exam at the end, and print your own nifty diploma (assuming you pass, of course, but don't worry, it's open book with no proctor.) I recommend you start with IS-7, and IS-100 and 200 are basics.
http://training.fema.gov/IS/crslist.asp

Sorry if I'm a little defensive, but it's my impression that FEMA actually was a little embarrassed by it's Katrina performance, and is trying to become a more effective agency despite Bushco.

[autorank]

45. I think that we have an excellent federal bureaucracy. Not about the workers.

I was quoting the politically appointed head of FEMA dissembling about an important issue.
That was not intended to reflect on the employees at FEMA and other federal agencies who
keep the government from a complete slide into chaos. These are the people who got up the
morning after 911 and every day after that and reported to work, did their jobs, and kept
vital services and programs going. The problem is this administration with its profound
commitment to nihilism. Sorry if this offended you. It was a comment on the politically
apppinted leader speaking for what he'll make into FEMA policy.

With regard to laws, regulations, and rules driving what FEMA does, don't hold your breath.
What's legal or acceptable about multi billion dollar no bid contracts in New Orleans? This
is a lawless administration. They do what they want and their sponsors have paid for a Congress
and court system that will allow that "unitary" executive authority.

Good luck at FEMA. May you get a merit driven selection as you new director very soon.