GovernmentExecutive.com

Return to Article: How FEMA delivered Florida for Bush

• 7023
  

  Mari - I suggest you right/call your Senators and Congressmen and get them involved in your particular plight. It couldn't hurt. Good luck.

  GovExec.com reader Posted November 10, 2004 2:39 PM
• 6962
  

  I'm sorry, but the writer must be employed by FEMA. Yes, all of their effort was politically staged and with a clear intent to win a few votes. Now, comes reality. With the President being elected we will see FEMA flexing their Federal non-sense and telling homeowners, and communities that most of what they did to recover from the hurricanes will not qualify for reimbursement. Sound familiar??? I've lost all faith in FEMA. Like the IRS, FEMA should be completed revamped, and conditioned to serve the communities in times of need and not themselves. The ill-prepared and less than knowledgeable representatives FEMA sends out belong someplace else other than the USA. But then again, these representatives when confronted say that they are only the messengers. Yes, the messenger for who?? FEMA?? Yes, these monitors get paid the big bucks by FEMA to deliver the message that money is scarce. Now, where does the buck stop here? Stops short of assisting those that truly need it. Oh, and by the way, FEMA will probably loose millions of dollars on equipment loss, staff time paid that was unjustified, travel expenses that don't qualify, and countless other taxpayer funded items.

  Larry Posted November 5, 2004 12:31 PM
• 6950
  

  The person that wrote this article must take those of us that live in Florida as having a low level of intellect. FEMA had no effect on the vote, we vote as we see it like it or not. Yes, FEMA did help, but not as much as neighbor to neighbor. I suggest that whomever employs this "writer" look at his work and replace him with someone smarter then him, maybe a sand flea.

  Dave Posted November 5, 2004 8:22 AM
• 6939
  

  My home in Brevard County Florida was hit by hurricanes Charley, Frances and Jeanne. Insurance companies in Florida will not write insurance policies for old homes. I have applied for blue tarps for my leaking roof. Last Saturday 11/06 a crew from FEMA came to my home a month after my application. This crew determined that it was too dangerous to put tarps on my roof. My house is two stories with a 12/12 pitch built in 1890. I informed the Army Corps of Engineers when I applied 10/01/2004. I have approximately $15-20,000 worth of damage to my home. This is the third time I have had to replace my roof from storms. I have received less than $5,000 for repairs. My roof is damaged, drywall is full of mold from water seeping through the roof and will need to be replaced. Windows are no longer a barrier from rain due to the force of the wind. Drywall has fallen from the ceiling in one room of my home. My privacy fence and trees were blown down, they are not covered. The inspectors -- I had two as I had to file a claim for each storm -- did not take any measurements or photos of damage. I have no clue how FEMA determines how much damage has occurred. I now understand it may take two years to replace roofs. It takes about two months to even get an estimate. It is difficult to contact FEMA.

  FEMA got funds immediately to those who purchased generators when their electric was lost. Those generators may now be sitting in their garages or sold for cash. I was told a young woman with a child who is renting an apartment called FEMA to get assistance as she lost work time from the storms. The FEMA representative she talked to over the telephone kept prompting her asking if her microwave was damaged, her kitchen range and on. This woman with no damage to her residence received a check for $3,000. I was told of another incident where a man had made a claim for damage to his residence. The FEMA inspector noticed he was missing a tooth. FEMA is paying for his dental work even though he has dental insurance through his employer. I have no grudge against these people but I consider having a roof that does not leak to be important. It has been months since the first hurricane hit. So far nothing has been done to my home to make it rain proof. The storms were overwhelming and many like me are still waiting for assistance.

  Mari Anderson Posted November 4, 2004 1:40 PM
• 6936
  

  A very disingenuous article. Perhaps the author would have wanted FEMA to take the position that they wouldn't provide the best available help in order to not seem politically motivated in their efforts. Then I suppose we would have gotten an article on the ineptitude of the the Bush Administration's FEMA.

  GovExec.com reader Posted November 4, 2004 12:46 PM
• 6935
  

  Maybe I'm just too sensitive or too cynical. But the tone of this article kind of ticks me off. You can read it a couple of different ways, but it comes across to me that the gist of the article is that Bush wasn't going to let FEMA be his downfall in an election year....and that if it WEREN'T an election year, then the disaster victims wouldn't have received the degree of support that they did.

  It couldn't possibly be that an Executive Branch organizaton was organized, had learned from past lessons, had the right guy in charge, and took care of business when the bell rang......an indicator of good leadership.

  Nah, had to be the political angle.

  GovExec.com reader Posted November 4, 2004 12:32 PM
• 6932
  

  It's sad (if understandable) that an author like Charles Mahtesian would need to put a cynical political spin on the extraordinary performance of a federal agency in relief of US citizens. His point would have been more believable had he gotten it from interviews with the people of Florida. Ask them if the disaster relief changed their voting habits. I don't think it did. The FEMA folks learned a lesson from their 1992 performance, applied that lesson to their planning and garnered a huge improvement in performance. That's just what should have happened. It is the height of cynicism to intimate that these gains should somehow be attributed to the needs of Presidential politics and not to the hard work and dedication of the people at FEMA. Relieving the stress and suffering of our fellow Americans who are recovering from disaster is what they do - and they want to do it the best they can. Not for the President, not for the reigning political party, but rather for the people who need help. They'll do the same thing with the lessons learned from this last operation - feed it back, analyze the results, improve their process and stand ready for the next one. Good job FEMA!

  John Parker Posted November 4, 2004 12:00 PM
• 6930
  

  FEMA did what they were supposed to do! Too often members of Federal Agencies get caught up with their own "importance" and forget that their job is to SERVE THE VOTING TAXPAYER. Under the strong leadership of President Bush, FEMA finally learned this; instead of "dotting the eyes and crossing the tees", FEMA got off their butts and PRODUCED!!! Many other government agencies should take a lesson...the job is not to enforce your "mickey mouse" rules, the job is TO SERVE the public, and serve them well...OPM HEALTH CARE NEGOTIATORS SHOULD HEED. Quit "kissing the ring" of the big providers, and start PRODUCING MUCH BETTER QUALITY HEALTH CARE PLANS for the average Federal employee. Jungle Jon

  GovExec.com reader Posted November 4, 2004 10:25 AM
• 6920
  

  Isn't it possible that FEMA is committed first to its mission? Your "news" article should more appropriately be titled an editorial since it is slanted to suggested that FEMA only acted for political purposes to influence the outcome of the election.

  PitBull Lover Posted November 4, 2004 7:55 AM
• 6919
  

  So, Mr. Mahtesian, FEMA delivered Florida for Bush. Could FEMA have done so without the hurricanes? You said no one "could have foreseen the role that Mother Nature would play." Hmmm...I just wonder, do you suppose that God is a Bush-supporter? We always hear that He (or She) works in mysterious ways. Was this God's way of getting Bush re-elected? Did God see to the re-anointing of King George? Does God hate Bushwhackers? Possible "hooks" for any follow-up article you'd like to compose.

  EJC in ATL

  GovExec.com reader Posted November 4, 2004 7:54 AM
• 6913
  

  FEMA did not act to provide care and service to the victims of the hurricanes in order to provide political support to the president, nor any other political entity. FEMA acted because it was their mandate and their desire to do their best to help their fellow citizens in a time of need. FEMA has not always worked well, this time it did - could we not just assume that they have learned from the trails and tribulations of past experience and now have a greater understanding of how to act. And, could we also not assume that under President Bush's watch and transformation of government service, that FEMA is better able to perform it's function? Many good things happened when FEMA responded to Florida's needs. Why do you have to turn it into something it is not?

  Edward O'Loughlin Posted November 4, 2004 3:06 AM