Katrina Victims Sue FEMA

Some 11 weeks after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, victims are suing the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), seeking housing assistance they say they still haven't received and FEMA is supposed to provide.

The complaint, filed Thursday in Federal District Court in New Orleans, states that the agency has "failed to fulfill its mandate" to provide housing assistance to the storm's victims.

FEMA has been roundly criticized for its response to Katrina.

One of the plaintiffs, Florence Jackson, a senior citizen who lived just blocks from the New Orleans Superdome, was flown out of New Orleans by helicopter five days after the storm came ashore. Her son, who has special needs, was evacuated by that chopper as well.

Jackson spent the next month in a shelter in San Antonio, Texas. She says she applied for aid many times, calling FEMA and re-entering her information over and over but, to this day, has only received initial assistance, despite losing everything.

Jackson

Jackson says she completed her paperwork on Sept. 5 and filled out five change of address cards.

But when she called FEMA, she says she found it very frustrating.

"If you talk to five different people, you get five different explanations," she says. "It's like they're not coordinated, in my opinion. I just can't believe that an organization is just not ready. I don't know any other words to use. They're just not ready."

Jackson said she received $2,000 early on and has seen no aid since.

Attorney Howard Godnick, who is with Schulte Roth & Zabel, a New York law firm handling the case without charge, told Storm: "What we're asserting is what the government has already agreed to do, and that is provide benefits to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. It's two months later now. And there are so many folks … who have yet to receive any benefits. They're not looking for handouts. They're simply looking for a helping hand. This is money that was allocated by Congress, and approved by the president. We're not seeking damages. We're just seeking their benefits."

In a statement, FEMA responded that it has "dispersed $3.4 billion directly to a million households in an effort to support Katrina victims with much needed aid. Every household will receive the full amount they are eligible for by law."

"That's terrific," replied Godnick. "So FEMA acknowledges the obligation, but it's two months later. Ask Florence where her money is. Ask any of the thousands of folks who have not received any money."

"Ask me," Jackson interjected, "why don't I sleep at night. Because I don't know if my rent is paid. I don't know if my lights are paid. I got a disconnect notice (Thursday) about my telephone. It's hard, Hannah, to just sit and wait after you have done all you're supposed to do. I filled out all the papers. I gave them all my needs. And I feel as though I'm fighting with my hands behind my back."