FEMA

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Gustav May Delay GOP Convention
Gustav May Delay GOP Convention
Aug 29, 2008 1:53 AM CDT

Gustav May Delay GOP Convention

Storm could raise specter of Katrina, detract from McCain

(Newser) - Republicans are considering delaying the start of next week's convention in Minneapolis if deadly Hurricane Gustav hits big, reports the Washington Post. The storm is on course to nail the Gulf Coast with full force early next week, and party officials don’t want America thinking about President Bush’s...

Casino Panel Snagged Aid Intended for Katrina Victims

FEMA sat on donated goods for 2 years, then gave them to state agencies

(Newser) - Household goods donated to help Hurricane Katrina victims instead ended up in the hands of 11 state agencies, including a gaming commission, CNN reports. FEMA stored 121 truckloads of items two years before handing them over to agencies like the Mississippi Gaming Commission. Leaders of groups helping Katrina victims were...

$85M in Katrina Supplies Never Got to Victims

FEMA gave them to Miss. and other states for general use

(Newser) - Household and cleaning supplies worth $85 million never reached Hurricane Katrina victims because FEMA kept them in storage for 2 years, CNN reports. Louisiana didn't ask for them, the federal agency says, so coffee makers, dinnerware sets, clothes, and other items went to Mississippi and 15 other states—which doled...

After the Deluge: Tallying Massive Costs

Food prices may rise for years to come

(Newser) - Floods that ravaged the Midwest have begun to subside—but  the massive costs of weeks of rising water have only begun to be counted. The floods killed 24 people, left 38,000 homeless and destroyed billions of dollars of crops. The losses are likely to trigger food shortages and push...

Emergency Declared in Calif. Fires

Blazes threaten more than 6,800 homes; better weather expected

(Newser) - President Bush declared a region stretching from Nevada to the Pacific Ocean a federal disaster area, the Los Angeles Times reports, as more than 1,000 fires raged across northern California. Some 17,000 firefighters are battling the blazes, which threaten 6,800 homes. “We don’t have any...

Bush Tours Flood-Damaged Iowa
 Bush Tours
 Flood-Damaged Iowa 
Jun 19, 2008 12:45 PM CDT

Bush Tours Flood-Damaged Iowa

(Newser) - With the painful lessons of Hurricane Katrina still in mind, President Bush today opened an inspection tour of Midwest flooding that has forced tens of thousands to flee their homes across six states. First stops were Iowa City and Cedar Rapids, which has endured its worst flooding ever. The president...

Great Lakes Study Mired in Politics: Author

Scientist says feds didn't like pollution report, reassigned him

(Newser) - A report suggesting industrial contamination in the Great Lakes poses health threats to residents is being suppressed by the feds, says study author Chris De Rosa, who also claims he was demoted because of his findings. The study found 230,000 "vulnerable" people are living in polluted areas, but...

FEMA to Move Families, Citing Toxins in Trailers

High formaldehyde levels found in lodging of hurricane survivors

(Newser) - FEMA will move thousands of survivors of hurricanes Katrina and Rita out of their government-supplied trailers because of possibly dangerous levels of formaldehyde, the Times-Picayune reports. Those at greatest risk, including those with current health problems, will be moved into apartments and hotels in the next two weeks, with the...

Tornadoes Put FEMA on Spot
Tornadoes Put FEMA on Spot
Feb 7, 2008 5:32 PM CST

Tornadoes Put FEMA on Spot

Agency that botched Katrina response is under close scrutiny

(Newser) - As the full extent of the damage from this week's deadly tornadoes comes clear, survivors and lawmakers are united in one sentiment: FEMA better come through this time. The agency that botched the Katrina recovery is under close scrutiny, the New York Times reports. “FEMA must not use bureaucratic...

Tornado Survivors Recall Horror
Tornado Survivors Recall Horror
Feb 6, 2008 8:00 PM CST

Tornado Survivors Recall Horror

54 dead as FEMA steps in to begin cleanup

(Newser) - As FEMA teams mobilized rescue efforts in the Southern states ravaged by yesterday's tornadoes, survivors combed through the wreckage today, sharing survival stories and clutching their faith. “It looks like the Lord took a Brillo pad and scrubbed the ground,” said Tennessee’s governor. The twisters, possibly spawned...

FEMA Buried Dangers of Katrina Trailers, Reps Charge

Formaldehyde risks ignored in scramble

(Newser) - Democrats on a House committee say the Federal Emergency Management Agency ignored good science in using travel trailers with dangerously high levels of formaldehyde as long-term housing for victims of Hurricane Katrina, CNN reports, adding that FEMA suppressed a report on formaldehyde risks. The emergency agency calls yesterday's accusations "...

US Hurricane Aid Snarled in Red Tape

$3.5B to replace schools and firehouses languishing in accounts

(Newser) - Billions of dollars in FEMA aid earmarked for rebuilding infrastructure pulverized by the 2005 Gulf Coast hurricanes have yet to be spent on thousands of important projects such as replacing schools and firehouses, USA Today reports. Out of $4.5 billion in aid to Louisiana and Mississippi, only $1 billion...

600K Lose Power in Icy Storm
600K Lose Power in Icy Storm
Dec 10, 2007 6:55 PM CST

600K Lose Power in Icy Storm

15 fatalities reported; weather service warns of more storms tomorrow

(Newser) - An icy storm plunged more than 600,000 Midwesterners into freezing darkness today, crippling power and causing about 15 fatalities on slippery roads, the AP reports. Oklahoma fared worst, declaring a state of emergency as schools shut down and hospitals ran on backup generators. More is on the way, according...

FEMA Housing Filled With Toxic Gas, Tests Show

Mobile homes yield readings up to 70 times higher than CDC guidelines

(Newser) - The mobile homes and trailers FEMA provided for displaced New Orleans residents are brimming with toxic formaldehyde gas, according to test results obtained by MSNBC. In 95% of cases, formaldehyde levels were at least twice the CDC’s maximum recommendations. The federal government has not followed through on promises to...

Fake FEMA Briefing Costs Official New Job

Spy media post yanked after 'remarkably bad judgment'

(Newser) - The FEMA official whose department staged a fake news conference with workers from the federal agency posing as reporters has been axed from a new job before he even begins, Reuters reports. FEMA external affairs director John Philbin was to start this week as media chief of the Office of...

Red Tape Grounded Copters in California Fires

Residents pick up the pieces after blaze

(Newser) - Firefighting helicopters sat idle as wildfires broke out across California, an AP investigation concludes, thanks to a web of bureaucracy. By the time Navy, Marine, and National Guard aircraft got clearance, up to a day after blazes started, it was already too dangerous to fly. Others were missing crucial equipment...

Bush Declares Calif. Emergency
Bush Declares Calif. Emergency
Oct 23, 2007 12:16 PM CDT

Bush Declares Calif. Emergency

(Newser) - Federal aid will soon be pouring into Southern California: President Bush today declared a state of emergency for the fire-scorched region. Wildfires ripping across seven counties have forced half a million people to evacuate. “We extend our prayers and our thoughts” to them, Bush said. Homeland Security chief Michael...

Edwards Vows to Ax Hacks
Edwards Vows to Ax Hacks
Aug 28, 2007 6:49 PM CDT

Edwards Vows to Ax Hacks

Dem posits ‘Brownie’s Law’ as cure for cronyism

(Newser) - John Edwards added a little stand-up to his routine yesterday, drawing laughter from a New Orleans university crowd as he proposed a law against political hacks running amok in Washington. He called it “Brownie’s Law,” referring to FEMA’s Michael Brown—and Bush’s back-slapping remark: "...

Midwest Threatened by Continued Flooding

More rain possible this weekend

(Newser) - Heavy flooding continues to beset the Midwest, with the prospect of even more rain looming, the AP reports. In northern Illinois, 143,000 are still without power since storms hit Thursday. Rain has stopped, but flooding is still a danger for hundreds of thousands of people near swollen creeks and...

Feds Hid Toxic Trailer Danger
Feds Hid Toxic Trailer Danger
Jul 20, 2007 10:32 AM CDT

Feds Hid Toxic Trailer Danger

Refused to conduct tests even after a death

(Newser) - Some 120,000 Hurricane Katrina victims lived in emergency trailers for months, even though FEMA knew they were toxic, with formaldehyde levels 75 times the safety threshold, the Washington Post reports. Officials suppressed the the information and failed to order tests, emails show, because they didn't want to do anything...

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