Judge: FEMA Off Hook For Hotel Costs
Federal Judge Denies Evacuees' Request For Direct Federal Assistance
-
Play CBS Video Video Ex-FEMA Head On Hot Seat Things are heated on Capitol Hill as the former director of FEMA, Michael Brown, takes the hot seat again today. Communication between Brown and top officials is one key topic. Claudia Coffey reports.
-
Video Waiting On FEMA In Florida Some people who lost their homes to Hurricane Wilma in October are still waiting for housing from FEMA. As Mark Strassmann reports, that's not even the worst part of their predicament.
-
Video Deadline Missed For Shelters Even though FEMA pledged that all Katrina evacuees should have homes by today, more than 15,000 are still in shelters and thousands more remain in hotels. Trish Regan has more on the deadline delay.
-
Katrina evacuee Darryl Travis carries his belongings down Canal Street in New Orleans, Feb. 7, 2006. Travis was one of 90 hurricane evacuees forced to leave the Crowne Plaza. On Monday, Feb. 13, 2006, FEMA cut off hotel aid to any who failed to heed warnings to register with the agency by a Jan. 30 deadline. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) (AP)
-
Photo Essay Katrina: New Orleans A major U.S. city struggles with the devastation wrought by the deadly storm.
-
Video Hurricane Katrina Video Coverage: The storm's devastating impact on the U.S. Gulf Coast.
FEMA has promised the evacuees from hurricanes Katrina and Rita that they will still receive federal assistance that they can use toward hotel stays or fixing their ruined homes, although FEMA will no longer pay for the hotels directly after Monday.
The families made homeless by last year's hurricanes were hoping for a last-minute reprieve that would force the federal government to continue paying directly for their hotel rooms past Monday's deadline.
In a motion filed Sunday, lawyers for the evacuees say the money they'll get now won't be enough for reasonable living accommodations or for continued hotel stays.
The attorneys on Sunday delivered papers to the home of U.S. District Court Judge Stanwood Duval, asking him to grant a temporary restraining order.
"We have provided the court with statements from people showing they have not been treated fairly by FEMA," said Bill Quigley, an assistant dean of the Loyola University Law School, who filed the motion with civil rights attorney Tracie Washington.
About 10,500 families, or 88 percent, have received rent-assistance checks from FEMA, said Libby Turner, the agency's transitional housing director. The cash can be used to pay for an apartment or to continue their hotel stays. It also can be put toward fixing their ruined homes.
The motion alleged that contrary to prior orders of the court, many did not receive written notice of termination from the program before Jan. 30 or have not received trailers as promised.
"Under our reading of the judge's orders they should be allowed to stay until the beginning of March," Quigley said. "We think FEMA is just trying to clear the books and not taking a careful or compassionate look at these people."
Others have been terminated illegally or mistakenly, the motion said. And many of those facing eviction would become homeless if the evictions go through, the motion said.
Monday will mark the second wave of evacuees losing FEMA financing of their hotel rooms. Last week, the occupants of roughly 4,500 rooms lost FEMA funding for failing to register with the agency.
In Louisiana, officials offered shelters to those leaving the hotels — but according to FEMA, only one family needed sheltering.
Mary Foster ©MMVI, The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Best-selling author Mitch Albom on his first nonfiction work since "Tuesdays with Morrie."
