CNN just reported it. No web link yet.
Go FEMA! You're doin' a heck of a job!
Breaking news: FEMA scraps debit card plan
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Coredesat
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,168980,00.html
EDIT: Might as well post the article:
FEMA Scraps Debit Card Program
Friday, September 09, 2005
WASHINGTON — The federal government's relief agency said Friday it will discontinue its program to distribute debit cards worth up to $2,000 to hurricane victims, two days after hastily announcing the novel plan to provide quick relief.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency said it will scrap the program once officials finish distributing cards this weekend at shelters in Dallas, Houston and San Antonio, where many of the evacuees were moved. No cards will be issued to victims in other states.
Hurricane victims at other locations will have to apply for expedited aid through the agency's traditional route — filling out information on FEMA's Web site to receive direct bank deposits, FEMA spokeswoman Natalie Rule said.
"We tried it as an innovative way to get aid to evacuee populations in Texas. We decided it would be more expeditious with direct deposits," she said, citing the large staffing operation that would be required to replicate the Texas operation in other states.
Under fire for its initial response to the hurricane, FEMA Director Michael Brown had announced the debit card program as a way to quickly get up to $2,000 to the neediest families and empower them "to make their own decisions about what do they need to have to start rebuilding their lives."
He did not describe the program as applying only to Texas, which has accepted the largest number of evacuees and is the home state of President Bush.
From the outset, there was confusion about how to get the cards and who would be eligible.
On Thursday, thousands of people lined up at the Astrodome in Houston following reports that the first FEMA cards would be distributed that day. Red Cross cards were distributed, but those seeking the government cards were told they would have to return the next day.
On Friday, Ed Conley, a FEMA spokesman in Houston, said evacuees were receiving the cards at a rate of about 500 an hour, many of whom had filled out the proper documentation and applications through FEMA's Web site.
Applicants were being asked to provide Social Security numbers as well as the address of their damaged homes, for verification against aerial photographs of devastated areas.
A FEMA spokeswoman had said Friday there were enough cards to cover the families of the estimated 7,000 people registered at three shelters in the Astrodome complex.
EDIT: Might as well post the article:
FEMA Scraps Debit Card Program
Friday, September 09, 2005
WASHINGTON — The federal government's relief agency said Friday it will discontinue its program to distribute debit cards worth up to $2,000 to hurricane victims, two days after hastily announcing the novel plan to provide quick relief.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency said it will scrap the program once officials finish distributing cards this weekend at shelters in Dallas, Houston and San Antonio, where many of the evacuees were moved. No cards will be issued to victims in other states.
Hurricane victims at other locations will have to apply for expedited aid through the agency's traditional route — filling out information on FEMA's Web site to receive direct bank deposits, FEMA spokeswoman Natalie Rule said.
"We tried it as an innovative way to get aid to evacuee populations in Texas. We decided it would be more expeditious with direct deposits," she said, citing the large staffing operation that would be required to replicate the Texas operation in other states.
Under fire for its initial response to the hurricane, FEMA Director Michael Brown had announced the debit card program as a way to quickly get up to $2,000 to the neediest families and empower them "to make their own decisions about what do they need to have to start rebuilding their lives."
He did not describe the program as applying only to Texas, which has accepted the largest number of evacuees and is the home state of President Bush.
From the outset, there was confusion about how to get the cards and who would be eligible.
On Thursday, thousands of people lined up at the Astrodome in Houston following reports that the first FEMA cards would be distributed that day. Red Cross cards were distributed, but those seeking the government cards were told they would have to return the next day.
On Friday, Ed Conley, a FEMA spokesman in Houston, said evacuees were receiving the cards at a rate of about 500 an hour, many of whom had filled out the proper documentation and applications through FEMA's Web site.
Applicants were being asked to provide Social Security numbers as well as the address of their damaged homes, for verification against aerial photographs of devastated areas.
A FEMA spokeswoman had said Friday there were enough cards to cover the families of the estimated 7,000 people registered at three shelters in the Astrodome complex.
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soonertwister
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It's strange that the article would say that it was an experiment in Texas. One of my coworkers has a good friend who lives on the Mississippi coast. He lost his house, his cars, his job, everything. All of his family are safe, however.
He relocated before the storm in Georgia. FEMA gave him his 2,000 dollar debit card, he got several other disbursements, food, paid shelter for two months, and a lot more. He was to be employed at the Hard Rock Casino, which was scheduled to open just after the hurricane hit. I was told that Hard Rock told him that they already had checks cut for his two months of employment, and that he could pick them up at his convenience, and he was also told that as long as it took to get him back to work at a rebuilt casino, he'd see a full paycheck every month.
Lucky, lucky guy. But if he got the debit card in Georgia, something doesn't square with that article.
(edited for erroneous statement)
He relocated before the storm in Georgia. FEMA gave him his 2,000 dollar debit card, he got several other disbursements, food, paid shelter for two months, and a lot more. He was to be employed at the Hard Rock Casino, which was scheduled to open just after the hurricane hit. I was told that Hard Rock told him that they already had checks cut for his two months of employment, and that he could pick them up at his convenience, and he was also told that as long as it took to get him back to work at a rebuilt casino, he'd see a full paycheck every month.
Lucky, lucky guy. But if he got the debit card in Georgia, something doesn't square with that article.
(edited for erroneous statement)
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mf_dolphin
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Stratosphere747
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Great idea...
Most of the money though would not have been used for its intended purposes.
FEMA and the government in general have no real clue what to do with all of the displaced individuals. Hard to blame them as who could have ever envisioned anything close to the level of what has transpired.
As of now they are IMO jumping at solutions in the short term and not looking at what needs to be done long term.
Most of the money though would not have been used for its intended purposes.
FEMA and the government in general have no real clue what to do with all of the displaced individuals. Hard to blame them as who could have ever envisioned anything close to the level of what has transpired.
As of now they are IMO jumping at solutions in the short term and not looking at what needs to be done long term.
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Stratosphere747 wrote:Great idea...
Most of the money though would not have been used for its intended purposes.
FEMA and the government in general have no real clue what to do with all of the displaced individuals. Hard to blame them as who could have ever envisioned anything close to the level of what has transpired.
As of now they are IMO jumping at solutions in the short term and not looking at what needs to be done long term.
Sure they could've. The entire reason FEMA was created during the cold war was to ensure the country kept running after a nuclear war. Charter-wise, they're still supposed to be able to fill this mission. And that's a lot more of a challenge than cleaning up after a hurricane.
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soonertwister
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How are they going to shift to direct deposit to bank accounts now, when possibly half or more of those who need aid don't have any bank accounts?
If you cut checks to these people, check cashing outlets will take anywhere from 5-15% of that money or more just to convert the paper to cash.
Terrible mistake, IMO.
If you cut checks to these people, check cashing outlets will take anywhere from 5-15% of that money or more just to convert the paper to cash.
Terrible mistake, IMO.
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sandr552001
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soonertwister wrote:How are they going to shift to direct deposit to bank accounts now, when possibly half or more of those who need aid don't have any bank accounts?
If you cut checks to these people, check cashing outlets will take anywhere from 5-15% of that money or more just to convert the paper to cash.
Terrible mistake, IMO.
No kidding.. I was one of the fortunate evacuees who brought a notebook comp, my checkbook, and high limit credit cards to sustain me along with plenty of food, clothing, and a car.
Filed the FEMA claim for me and my wife Wednesday night, received the $2k via EFT by mid-day today.
However, I didn't really need it right away (although I will incur that $2k and more, between being evac'ed for 2 weeks and counting, losing all my food at home, and still undetermined damage). I'm uncomfortable per-se, but certainly nowhere near as bad as those in shelters with no cars, no checking accounts, no savings, no credit cards, no food, and no clothing - literally.
They hand out $100 bills in Baghdad - why not here? Even if 25% of it gets converted to drugs, alcohol, cigs, and weapons, its better then making them wait weeks to invent checking accounts or figuring another way to get them the funds needed!
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crazycajuncane
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The sad thing is I was talking to a guy from Chalmette that lost everything tonight. He said his car was at the shop getting repaired and is under water. We were all playing poker and I was joking about those 2k debit cards and he said, " I didn't get mine yet, Texas gets them first and then we get them."
Poor guy has nothing and he'll have to wait even longer before he gets any assistance.
Poor guy has nothing and he'll have to wait even longer before he gets any assistance.
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