Victims of Hurricane Katrina not only had to fight for their lives and their homes; in the aftermath, they also had to fight for the funding to try to rebuild everything. Now, FEMA is trying to take that funding away from them.
According to the Associated Press, about 83,000 flood victims got FEMA debt notices for Christmas. FEMA says the notices are to recover improper funding, even while admitting agency error was part of the problem.
David Bellinger, age 63 and blind, relied on FEMA's help with rent after losing his New Orleans home. If FEMA demands that money back, he told the AP, he will likely lose everything.
With more lawsuits in motion, is the expense of mailings, paperwork, investigations and legal fees really worth further harassing these storm-worm victims?
Sign the petition to tell FEMA to stop harassing Hurricane Katrina victims. They have already suffered enough.
We, the undersigned, ask you to stop wasting taxpayer's money on bureaucracy that will fail to justify, in the long run, the amount FEMA seeks to recover from Katrina and other flood victims. Additionally, this action places further hardship on those who have already endured too much.
We believe that few victims have taken advantage of government emergency funding, and we are aware that many of the errors are FEMA's responsibility.
Considering the costs of law suits, mailings, investigations, and paperwork needed to pursue the few who might be guilty of fraud, along with the costs already incurred, we see no reason to continue this pursuit of fund recovery, except, perhaps, in cases where FEMA is absolutely certain fraud was involved.
In conclusion, we insist that you stop harassing and seeking funding recovery from the vast majority of those to whom you have sent debt notices.
Certainly, the loss incurred by the victims of this tragedy is far greater than any money FEMA has given them.
Thank you for your consideration of these requests.
