FEMA

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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...

Homeland Security Faces Staffing Crisis

A quarter of top positions remain vacant; Congress warns of safety threat

(Newser) - Nearly 150 top-level management positions at the Department of Homeland Security—nearly a quarter of all available jobs—remain unfilled, a new congressional report warns. The gaps, which include high-level positions at FEMA, immigration agencies, and the Coast Guard, could seriously affect the nation's preparedness for a terrorist threat, according...

Twister Levels Kansas Town, Leaving 9 Dead

Greensburg, farming community of 1,400, destroyed by worst tornado in years

(Newser) - A wedge tornado more than a mile wide carried off the city of Greensburg, Kansas, yesterday, destroying virtually the entire town and killing at least nine residents. Some Kansans are calling it one of the worst twisters in more than a decade. "I can't believe the destruction I'm seeing,...

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