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Rebuild Northwest Fla Rally Yesterday. Big sucess
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Saw this on the news last night. What a great community effort there. They have had people from all over the United States calling in to donate money and supplies. One man donated 10,000 dollars, plus his services to help those rebuild. Electricians, roofers, heat/air techs, plumbers have come from all over the U.S. to volunteer their services.
Alot of people are still living in those cramped FEMA trailers. Hopefully, they will be able to return to a normal life soon!
I am hoping that ABC and the crew of "Extreme Home Makeover" see this effort and volunteer their services.
Alot of people are still living in those cramped FEMA trailers. Hopefully, they will be able to return to a normal life soon!
I am hoping that ABC and the crew of "Extreme Home Makeover" see this effort and volunteer their services.
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Aquawind
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Finaly a little pressure pays off!!Geesh..
http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll ... 70480/1075
Florida leaders pressure FEMA
Agency quickly provides $115 million for relief
By JOHN MCCARTHYGANNETT NEWS SERVICE
JEFF CULL, JCULL@NEWS-PRESS.COM
Published by news-press.com on March 17, 2005
ORLANDO — FEMA's chief executive announced Wednesday that just over $115 million in hurricane relief money is being released to local governments and other agencies across Florida.
Of that, local governments will get $57.5 million in hurricane assistance more quickly than anticipated after members of Florida's congressional delegation pressured FEMA to move on the payments.
An additional $57.9 million is being released to pay other bills that have been in the agency's pipeline, FEMA director Michael Brown said at a press conference.
Local officials said they want to see the money before they get excited.
"They told us that three weeks ago," Renee Lynch, finance director for the city of Sanibel, said of a $4 million bill the city submitted to FEMA for debris removal.
She called up the state Web site that shows the status of FEMA requests as she spoke.
"It's not there. So it doesn't mean anything to me," she said. "Talk is cheap."
Florida's congressional delegation has been pressing FEMA for weeks to speed up the process of getting money to local governments, many of which have had a hard time paying for disaster cleanup while still providing essential services.
Some of the money announced Wednesday, along with matching funds from the state, will provide $64 million in cleanup and emergency money to the 44 communities around the state that have asked for it under an expedited reimbursement process FEMA announced last month.
Only Collier and Charlotte counties in Southwest Florida will see any of that new money. Collier will get $1.2 million while Charlotte will get $5 million.
That's half of recent invoices those counties submitted to FEMA to pay for debris cleanup or other costs.
In hard-hit Charlotte County, Commissioner Matt DeBoer welcomed the $5 million that FEMA has now approved for old bills and $5 million for new bills, but said a lot of money still needs to come in. Charlotte has spent more than $56 million on hurricane damage so far but has received only about $8.5 million from FEMA.
Even with the added $115 million for local government reimbursement, that leaves a gap of nearly $700 million between what local governments have requested in FEMA aid and what the agency has paid out.
Lee County will be getting its first payment, nearly $9.5 million, on an invoice it sent more than three months ago.
FEMA reimburses local governments 90 percent of most costs associated with last summer's hurricanes, with the state picking up the other 10 percent. But the process can be overwhelming, say many of the officials involved.
It's the pace of the payouts that angers many of Florida's congressional members.
"I would think the pressure from the Florida delegation has had something to do with getting the purse strings loosened," said Rep. Connie Mack IV, R-Fort Myers. "We will continue the pressure. This is just the beginning."
Sen. Bill Nelson, a Democrat, agreed.
Brian Gulley, a Nelson spokesman, said: "We're happy that our pressure on FEMA to reimburse the communities is paying off, but we won't be satisfied until the agency reimburses all our communities with the dollars they deserve. This is only a small portion of what is owed."
Brown said his agency is committed to working with Florida politicians to keep the recovery money moving.
"I have met with them and will continue to discuss their concerns. We will follow the laws and regulations Congress set down. I can assure them, I'm as interested in getting money out quickly to the cities and county as anybody else," he said.
— Larry Wheeler of The News-Press's Washington bureau contributed to this report.
Paul
http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll ... 70480/1075
Florida leaders pressure FEMA
Agency quickly provides $115 million for relief
By JOHN MCCARTHYGANNETT NEWS SERVICE
JEFF CULL, JCULL@NEWS-PRESS.COM
Published by news-press.com on March 17, 2005
ORLANDO — FEMA's chief executive announced Wednesday that just over $115 million in hurricane relief money is being released to local governments and other agencies across Florida.
Of that, local governments will get $57.5 million in hurricane assistance more quickly than anticipated after members of Florida's congressional delegation pressured FEMA to move on the payments.
An additional $57.9 million is being released to pay other bills that have been in the agency's pipeline, FEMA director Michael Brown said at a press conference.
Local officials said they want to see the money before they get excited.
"They told us that three weeks ago," Renee Lynch, finance director for the city of Sanibel, said of a $4 million bill the city submitted to FEMA for debris removal.
She called up the state Web site that shows the status of FEMA requests as she spoke.
"It's not there. So it doesn't mean anything to me," she said. "Talk is cheap."
Florida's congressional delegation has been pressing FEMA for weeks to speed up the process of getting money to local governments, many of which have had a hard time paying for disaster cleanup while still providing essential services.
Some of the money announced Wednesday, along with matching funds from the state, will provide $64 million in cleanup and emergency money to the 44 communities around the state that have asked for it under an expedited reimbursement process FEMA announced last month.
Only Collier and Charlotte counties in Southwest Florida will see any of that new money. Collier will get $1.2 million while Charlotte will get $5 million.
That's half of recent invoices those counties submitted to FEMA to pay for debris cleanup or other costs.
In hard-hit Charlotte County, Commissioner Matt DeBoer welcomed the $5 million that FEMA has now approved for old bills and $5 million for new bills, but said a lot of money still needs to come in. Charlotte has spent more than $56 million on hurricane damage so far but has received only about $8.5 million from FEMA.
Even with the added $115 million for local government reimbursement, that leaves a gap of nearly $700 million between what local governments have requested in FEMA aid and what the agency has paid out.
Lee County will be getting its first payment, nearly $9.5 million, on an invoice it sent more than three months ago.
FEMA reimburses local governments 90 percent of most costs associated with last summer's hurricanes, with the state picking up the other 10 percent. But the process can be overwhelming, say many of the officials involved.
It's the pace of the payouts that angers many of Florida's congressional members.
"I would think the pressure from the Florida delegation has had something to do with getting the purse strings loosened," said Rep. Connie Mack IV, R-Fort Myers. "We will continue the pressure. This is just the beginning."
Sen. Bill Nelson, a Democrat, agreed.
Brian Gulley, a Nelson spokesman, said: "We're happy that our pressure on FEMA to reimburse the communities is paying off, but we won't be satisfied until the agency reimburses all our communities with the dollars they deserve. This is only a small portion of what is owed."
Brown said his agency is committed to working with Florida politicians to keep the recovery money moving.
"I have met with them and will continue to discuss their concerns. We will follow the laws and regulations Congress set down. I can assure them, I'm as interested in getting money out quickly to the cities and county as anybody else," he said.
— Larry Wheeler of The News-Press's Washington bureau contributed to this report.
Paul
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