Posted on 08/30/2004 11:23:54 AM PDT by day10
One day after Donald Seither's mobile home was ripped up by Hurricane Charley, the 74-year-old retiree picked up a friend's phone and pleaded for federal aid.
Technically, he got it. But mostly, he got ticked off.
Seeking the government's help, the Punta Gorda resident — after being put on hold for 2 1/2 hours — got through to the Federal Emergency Management Agency and told his tale: a damaged roof, shattered windows and no electricity.
About a week later, a check from the U.S. Treasury came in the mail. Here, Seither figured, was the hundreds, maybe thousands, of dollars he and his wife would need to help rebuild their lives.
Then he opened the envelope and read the fine print. The check's value: $1.69.
It turned out Seither and his wife didn't appear to qualify for major federal assistance because they had insurance coverage. But rather than reject them outright, FEMA says it is giving them, and several other hurricane victims, token sums instead.
It's a quirk in a system intended to provide serious relief for those whose lives have been disrupted or destroyed. FEMA says for many, a small sum is better than nothing.
"I know $1.69 sounds ridiculous, but if the guy seems entitled to it, we're going to cut the check," said Butch Ducote, a FEMA spokesman.
Seither is not alone. Ducote said FEMA has received a handful of calls from other puzzled victims with small checks, though he could not say how many have been issued.
"I can assure you that checks that small rarely happen, but it does show you the effort," Ducote said.
The token relief carries an unintended consequence. For residents who spent much of the past two weeks living amid rubble without electricity, it can feel less like help and more like a slap in the face.
"I fell to the floor and I started to cry," said Seither, recalling his disappointment when he opened the envelope. He said he and his wife still live in the mobile home, which sustained roof and siding damage and had a tree jutting through a window after the storm.
FEMA, which provides financial support for the uninsured and underinsured in the aftermath of major disasters, says it has written nearly 42,000 checks worth more than $68 million to victims since Hurricane Charley nailed southwest Florida on Aug. 13.
That money has gone a long way toward helping tens of thousands with everything from home repairs to replacing damaged furniture and paying for clothing and medical care.
About 70 Floridians have qualified so far for the maximum FEMA award: $25,600.
But at the other extreme are people like Seither.
When he opened his envelope and called FEMA in a rage, someone told him the money was provided so he could buy a gallon of gas for his generator.
"I said, 'Evidently you don't live in Florida,' " Seither said. "Because gas here is $1.83."
He said he's not ungrateful but can't believe the federal government would go to the trouble to mail him a check for such a pittance.
"It's an insult," he said. "I would rather have gotten nothing."
Such was his anger that he took the check to a local radio station and railed against the federal agency on the air.
Seither's plight came to the attention of local FEMA officials, who found his case bizarre and decided to investigate.
"At first people thought it was just a misplaced decimal point," said FEMA spokesman Doug Welty. "But this was in fact a legitimate check."
Welty said it was impossible for him to say why a FEMA official decided to award Seither the exact amount he received. Aid requests are assessed case by case and are based on several factors, including the extent of a victim's insurance coverage and how much damage he or she can document.
In many instances, FEMA officials go to homes to assess the damage themselves.
Welty said he understands that receiving such a small check can seem insulting. But he pointed out that the only alternative would be to not send it at all — something sure to raise plenty of ire as well.
"If you don't do it, then people get (angry)," he said.
Seither said he's not going to cash his check. He's holding on to it as a novelty item. Someone already has offered him $24 for it, he said.
Now he's considering auctioning it on eBay.
LOL!! Great story!
"I trusted the Gubmint and all I got was a lousy check for $1.69!"
Too good!
Entitlement mentality. FEMA should have sent the guy a box of facial tissues instead.
This does suck, but yea he does have insurance.
Besides, what's a minimum amount where you cross from rediculous to "much needed help". $10? $50? Jeez I'm starting to argue like a liberal!
I can just hear some guy not getting $120 because FEMA said it would be insult to injury. Lawsuit city!
Too bad he's not a black, gay, transgendered illegal alien from Mexico - then he'd get all sorts of money.
Yeah, this is just a FEMA hit-piece. Charley was Bush's fault don'cha know.
Another Kerry supporter, how much you wanna bet? $1.69, perhaps?
He's whining because he expected Uncle Sugar to come across with some cash. Never mind that he wasn't qualified - what does that have to do with anything when the entitlement mentality kicks in?
At the same time I notice what a disincentive there is for having insurance coverage - apparently everyone, including the insured, seems to think that their fellow taxpayers are legally required to subsidize them.
Big FEMA payouts to the uninsured looks like the government incentivizing radical personal irresponsibility.
It's the taxpayers who should be whining, the overhead for producing the check probably was well over $1.69.
I'm bewildered. He had insurance. Why did he even call the government?! (Unless it was easier than playing the lottery...?)
Maybe he can get Tuh-ray-za to part with a few thou to help him out.
Local call!
That's exactly what they are.
The understanding was that it was a no-interest loan, with nothing payable for two years. They were told that the "loan" would likely be forgiven long before anything came due.
Reminds me....I should call some of 'em up and see what happened in the end.
I wonder how much it cost us (the taxpayers) to process and mail this check?
it doesn't just sound ridiculous, it is ridiculous! If the guy's got insurance and doesn't qualify just turn him down.
I think it's because insurance companies will take forever to pay up if they pay at all. Meanwhile he & wife live in a damaged trailer. I understand why Fema didn't pay but I think the guy probably thought Fema help would be faster.
Because he thoght he could win more in the FEMA lottery.
A_R
Baloney...It's called double-dipping....
It shows me the arrogance.......
I say if you live within 50 miles of the coast, you're on your own. We've got bills of our own to pay.
I guess I think differently than many, but in a true emergency I think people need help. The people here that live in mobile homes rarely have enough money on hand to help them out in such a case, unless it's a second home.
But I live in FL - it is almost impossible to get insurance on a mobile home. In a regular house, its difficult, and there is a large hurricane deductable here.
i wrote to the paper on this one. fema does give short term GRANTS (free) for those who lose their jobs, business,or home. this man didn't sound like he qualified for any of those so why is he surprised?
i wish you could meet my brother. he just blows me away with his post-hurricane positive attitude. he lives in charlotte harbor. he went to a retirement home with his wife and cat for shelter--however much of it got blown away so for the next day or so they were taking care of business there and helping relocate the seniors. finally he got home and thankfully his house was still standing with some damage to his ancient f-100 truck and the exterior of the house. i sent him a battery fan and you'd think he won the lottery. he was so thankful. he is such a good guy -- he lost his business for now -- but didn't want to file for fema because there were "so many who needed it more". he has been helping his elderly neighbors clean up and handing out $100 here and there as people need it. his own little fema. he has nothing but gratitude for the government and all the volunteers who have been helping while enduring the same horrid conditions as the victims.
just a bit of sympathy for those without insurance....i still support fema helping them. when you are broke, that is the first thing you quit buying and sometimes you don't buy it because it is so expensive if you are living in a house with insurance claims against it. the government does not want all these people who are hanging on by a thread to be totally destroyed.
Thanks for the info. I thought it may take some time because of all the damage and I surmised insurance offices weren't immune to damage either which would hinder speedy settlements. Again, thanks! :-)
If Hillary had her way, she would take the $1.69 "for the better good".
I've lost two homes to hurricanes, both insured. In both cases my insurance company (State Farm) insisted I go through
FEMA. Instant cash versus waiting for settlement.
I got a motel bill paid for two nights in one instance, nothing in the other.
Perhaps he can get another pass at the trough if his insurance co. doesn't come through?
A typical Kerry supporter looking for a hand-out from the government. Oh wait, Jf'n K, feels his pain, but please refrain from asking for any cash donations from Frenchie. Bush/Cheney 2004
The expectation scares me!
FEMA another useless tax payer funded sucking hole
Republican used to stand for Less Government.....
He's a 74 year old retiree. The odds are he'll fall off the roof and end up costing the system more.
I live down in FL. I see both sides. There are retirees down here living in mobile homes that can't get up $2 for a gallon of gas. And as I said before, if anyone here knows the name of an insurance company that will cover a mobile home in Florida, please let me know.
My company cancelled my house because I have a german shepherd. She's totally paralyzed in her back end and so sweet in her whole life she's never even growled at anyone, but what do they care.
LoL. I think they did. The check was cheaper to ship though!
They made a conscious decision to retire to a mobile home in a hurricane path.
If FEMA covers losses for all of the uninsured and underinsured, why am I paying insurance premiums????????
That's kind of like the $1.00 tax refund I got a couple of years ago. I didn't cash it because...well why? They sent me a replacement check this year.
Florida windstorm policies have a percentage deductible, if I'm not mistaken. You'd be surprised how many think that as long as they have Windstorm, that FEMA should kick in and pay their deductible for them. Geesh.
I'm curious...what was it that insurance didn't cover? Didn't you have insurance to cover the full value or at least the PB?
No offense, but FEMA isn't there to cover shortages for insurance. IMHO, FEMA should only cover community related costs, emergency supplies via community such as water, etc. It shouldn't cover insurance shortages...that's the individual's responsibility.
I was impressed with the FEMA crew that came to help. I asked them where they parked their Black Helicopters. They snickered. (Listened to too much Chuck Harder years ago) It seemed their major goal was to get the people thinking ahead to recovery, which was exactly what was needed here.
A_R
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