GALVESTON — Hurricane Ike left about a foot of water in Margaret Makupson’s 29th Street house.
But the Federal Emergency Management Agency says she doesn’t qualify for rental assistance.
Ike also flooded the house on Heards Lane where Monica Diaz and her four children lived with her mother, destroying all the family’s belongings.
But because Diaz wasn’t named on the lease, the federal agency won’t give her assistance — not even money to replace her children’s clothes and toys.
Like 375,299 other residents of the upper Texas Coast — 77 percent of the people who asked for housing assistance — Makupson and Diaz have fallen through gaps in the safety net the government spreads wide to help victims of natural disasters.
The reputation for a slow and incomplete response the government got in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina has only grown in Galveston.
Even high-ranking federal and state officials have heaped criticism on the agency for its missteps.
It’s a problem the agency’s top officials admit needs to be fixed.
But most of the dissatisfaction people express is based on misplaced expectations, officials said.
Every denial is issued for a reason, based on policies set by elected officials. It’s only up to the agency to enforce the rules.
But the official explanations offer little comfort to Makupson, Diaz and the thousands of people who asked the government for help and expected it to come.
Many are still waiting.
Managing Expectations
On average, 44 percent of the people who apply for assistance after a natural disaster get it, officials say.
After Hurricane Ike came shore Sept. 13, leaving a trail of destruction along much of the upper Texas Coast, 489,472 Texas residents registered for housing assistance.
As of Thursday, 68,904 registrants — 14 percent — had received assistance from the federal government.
The rest were denied because they did not qualify for help under federal guidelines.
Federal officials attribute the lower than average assistance rate after Ike to higher numbers of applicants who did not have damage, like Houston residents who only lost power during the storm.
But contrary to what most people believe before a natural disaster strikes their community, it is not the government’s job to meet every need, said Harvey Johnson, the agency’s deputy administrator.
Many disaster victims expected the government to reimburse them for every extra expense they incurred during the storm.
The federal government will help with temporary housing, home repair, replacement and construction and some necessary expenses caused by the disaster.
But federal disaster assistance programs are not designed to restore all houses and personal property to their pre-storm condition.
Agency officials have to balance the roles played by federal, state and local governments and individuals, Johnson said.
Although each group has responsibilities after a disaster, most people expect the federal government to do it all, he said. Managing those expectations is a challenge, he said.
‘Slower Than We Would Like’
But federal officials also had unrealistic expectations when they arrived in Galveston.
Because of the island’s proximity to other communities with empty hotel rooms and vacant apartments, officials initially said housing would not be a problem.
They did not realize in the weeks immediately following Ike that so many of the island’s rental units were damaged.
That fundamental misunderstanding of post-storm housing options stalled the agency’s efforts to send mobile homes to the area.
Johnson acknowledged the agency dropped the ball.
“We were slower than we would like to be in providing sufficient housing units,” he said. “We have recommitted FEMA to meet the housing needs in Galveston County.”
Despite Johnson’s pledge of help, the agency has only sent 50 mobile homes to the area. The government has installed about 300 mobile homes in Orange, Jefferson and Chambers counties.
Not Everyone Is Eligible
According to FEMA fact sheets, every full-time resident in a disaster area who has damage not covered by insurance is eligible for assistance.
But not everyone is really eligible.
Of all the denial letters FEMA sent to Galveston applicants, the most common reason given for the lack of assistance was insufficient damage to an applicant’s house.
Many of those denials were sent to people who lost nothing more than power during the storm, said Barb Sturner, a FEMA spokeswoman.
But the lawyers with Lone Star Legal Aid are working cases for Galveston residents whose homes really were unlivable, said Linda Good, an attorney for the organization.
Residents who list insurance policies on their FEMA application also were routinely denied assistance.
The government will give rental assistance to people with insurance, but only if none of their policies paid for any alternate living expenses.
The National Flood Insurance Program, which has almost all of the 16,000 flood insurance policies on the island, does not offer money for rent or hotel rooms.
Texas Windstorm Insurance Association policies and homeowners insurance policies do include money for alternate living expenses.
Applicants must appeal the initial denial and provide a letter from each insurer proving they did not receive benefits before they can get rent money from FEMA.
Good, whose organization also took on clients after hurricanes Katrina and Rita, said she expected by now to see more people coming to the legal service to get help appealing their denial letters.
The low turnout has her worried that many people have just given up on trying to fight with the agency, she said.
Expecting Help
After the storm, federal officials encouraged everyone in the affected area to register for assistance.
Diaz did, expecting the government would help her replace some of the clothes, toys and personal items she lost. She also hoped to get help finding a new place to live. The apartment she and her children were supposed to move into on Sept. 15 flooded during the storm.
If she could have moved just a week sooner, she would have qualified for help.
But the agency’s policy allows it only to assist her mother, who was the family’s head of household — and the only one listed on the lease — the day Ike made landfall.
The head of household policy was among the top five most common reasons agency officials denied people assistance after Ike.
Despite her denial, Diaz has continued to try to get help.
“What else can we do?” she asked. “I lost all my property. From there, what else do they expect us to do? We’ve lost everything.”
‘Between The Cracks’
Makupson’s denial letter said she didn’t qualify for assistance because her inspection report said she had insurance to cover her losses.
She does have insurance, but her flood policy does not provide money for rent while her house is being repaired.
But FEMA agents have not quickly corrected the mistake.
“I appealed over three weeks ago, but everything’s still pending,” she said. “They would help me with housing, but because of that mistake, I’m left between the cracks.”
Agency officials encourage all applicants who receive denial letters to appeal decisions they think are based on bad information or a mistake.
But the appeal process is slow, and people are left in limbo while they wait for a ruling
Makupson did qualify for a hotel voucher, but the closest room she can find is in Houston, more than an hour away from her house. And her voucher expires Wednesday.
Although she might get an extension, if her rental assistance isn’t approved before then, Makupson said she’s afraid she’ll fall through the cracks again.
“If I have to stay in my house, I have to do that,” she said. “If I don’t have any choice, I don’t have any choice.”
Changing Policy And Law
The problems most people are having with FEMA are bureaucratic glitches, pretty common for a federal agency, Good said.
But it’s too early to compare the government’s response after Ike to its response after Katrina and Rita, she said.
Texas lawmakers are already heaping criticism on the agency. U.S. Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn came to Galveston on Friday with FEMA head David Paulison to give local leaders a chance to vent about problems people are having with the agency.
Bureaucratic problems even local governments are having with the agency are absolutely ridiculous, state Rep. Craig Eiland, D-Galveston, said.
Hutchison said she planned to work with other members of Congress and agency officials to shorten the time it takes the government to bring mobile homes to disaster areas.
Despite the criticism the agency is facing in Texas, Johnson insisted the organization had made improvements through the years. The agency learns new lessons with every disaster it responds to, he said.
Officials can make some adjustments to the policy that dictates their decisions, but only lawmakers can make sweeping reforms, he said.
And the best advocates for change are the people who put the legislators in office, he said.
“We have the opportunity to talk to Congress,” he said. “But you do as well. Congressmen are really attuned to their local constituents.”
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Top 5 Reasons for FEMA denial letters
1. Insufficient damage to home
Why: Inspection showed home sustained some disaster-related damage but was still safe, secure and functional.
What to do:
• If you disagree with a finding of insufficient damage, you can appeal.
• To do that, get third-party documentation in writing showing the home is uninhabitable (i.e. bid for repairs from a contractor that better details the damages, condemnation notice from local officials, etc.)
• Send a letter to FEMA asking for reconsideration. Explain why you think the original inspection is wrong. Attach your third-party documentation. Do this within 60 days of the date on your denial letter.
• Mail the appeal letter and documentation to: FEMA Individuals & Households Program, National Processing Service Center, P.O. Box 10055, Hyattsville, MD 20782-7055 or fax to 800-827-8112.
2. No relocation
Why: When inspectors record a home needs habitability repairs, they ask the question, “Have you moved, or are you going to move while repairs are being made?” If an applicant answers no, then rent assistance is not awarded because a need for that help has not been identified.
What to do:
• If after the initial application your housing needs change (i.e. you can no longer stay in your home under the current conditions), contact FEMA again to update your housing status.
• Call the FEMA Help line at 1-800-621-3362 and explain why you had to or will have to move.
• Or send an appeal letter to FEMA.
3. No contact for inspection
Why: The inspector was unable to contact the applicant to arrange a time for a home inspection. Applicants must be present during the inspection.
What to do:
• Call the FEMA Help line and request an inspection.
• Make sure your contact information (phone numbers, address) is up-to-date so an inspector can reach you.
4. Assisted with household member
Why: Housing assistance is provided only to the head of household for the entire household, even if other family members (i.e. mother-in-law, father, sister, etc.) are living in the same dwelling at the time of the disaster.
What to do:
• If you believe the ineligible decision is incorrect, you have 60 days from the date of the denial letter to appeal the decision.
• Explain in writing why you think the decision about the amount or type of assistance you received is not correct.
• Send an appeal letter and documentation supporting your position to FEMA Individuals & Households Program, National Processing Service Center, P.O. Box 10055, Hyattsville, MD 20782-7055 or fax to 1-800-827-8112.
5. Failed identity verification
Why: The name on the Social Security card does not match the name on the application.
What to do:
• Submit a copy of an official document that shows your Social Security number to clarify the mismatch. Acceptable documentation examples are: Social Security card, driver’s license or ID card that lists the Social Security number, marriage license/certificate showing proof of maiden name with additional documents showing a Social Security number, documents from Social Security Administration, Medicare or other federal entities that list a Social Security number.
• You can do this at a local Disaster Recovery Center, by mail to: FEMA Individuals & Households Program.
