COMMENTARY | The Federal Emergency Management Agency, the government agency assigned to assist victims of natural disasters. The agency has a history of mismanagement, with Hurricane Katrina victims and now in the April and May tornado outbreaks in Alabama.
April and May saw the worst outbreak of tornadoes in the United States in 60 to 80 years. The Joplin, Mo., tornado in May had the highest death toll of any tornado since the 1920s. As of Monday, 153 people have died from the May 22 EF5 tornado.
From April 25-28, many Southern states saw a super tornado outbreak. States hardest hit were Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. 334 confirmed tornadoes across 21 states claimed 332 lives. The April 25-28 outbreak was the largest since the 1927 Tri-State outbreak. April 27 saw the single most widespread tornado damage since the 1936 Tupelo-Gainsborough outbreak.
FEMA is responsible for disaster assistance, particularly with organizing rescue and clean-up efforts and providing financial assistance. It is a government-run, taxpayer funded agency. Chief among the complaints about FEMA have been poorly trained staff, confused organization and leadership, inadequate and ineffectual disaster response plans and worst of all lack of coordination in getting emergency supplies to disaster sites.
FEMA only just announced that trailers for the April 25-28 and Joplin tornado victims were ready. It's been almost two months since the April tornadoes and almost a month since the Joplin tornado. In Katrina, the FEMA trailers caused many health problems with formaldehyde. If delays in getting trailers ready for victims are because of formaldehyde health issues, it doesn't take that long for the smell to dissipate.
FEMA has a history of being parsimonious with federal disaster money, too. Instead of administering grant money to the disaster victims it was intended for, it tends to make victims jump through too many complicated hoops to get it. That's what's happening in Alabama. Many homeowners and tenants who are applying for disaster relief are being denied assistance.
FEMA says tornado victims' homes which are missing walls, roofs and functional utilities show "insufficient damage" to qualify for help. Some homeowners have been able to get help from their insurance policies, but others have gotten trapped in red tape. These people having been living this way for nearly two months now.
FEMA isn't alone in dropping the ball on disaster relief. In Cordova, Ala., the single-wide FEMA trailers were banned. Because of health risks? No. The mayor thinks the trailers aren't pretty enough. Mayor Jack Scott explained that he didn't want "run-down trailers parked all over town years from now".
In February 2006 a report came out stating that the problems with FEMA existed before Hurricane Katrina. Some critics say the agency failed in its response to Hurricane Andrew back in 1992. That was 13 years prior to Katrina and still the agency was rife with unaddressed internal problems. Now in 2011, it seems FEMA still doesn't seem to be learning from its mistakes, nearly 20 years later.
Marilisa Kinney Sachteleben writes from 22 years parenting four children, 25 teaching K-8, special needs, adult education and home-school and six years in journalism.
