Victims of Hurricane Katrina were dealt another blow this week when it
was discovered that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
hoarded $85 million worth of household goods in a warehouse in Fort
Worth, Texas.
According to FEMA‘s press secretary, James
McIntyre, FEMA gave the household goods away earlier this year to other
federal and state agencies because another agency wanted to tear down
the warehouse.
The
household goods stored in the warehouse, which ranged from kitchen
goods to bedding were stored in the warehouse for two years until they
were given away.
“These are exactly the items that we are
desperately seeking donations of right now — basic kitchen household
supplies,” Martha Kegel, executive director of Unity of Greater New
Orleans told CNN.com. “These are the very things that we are seeking
right now. FEMA, in fact, refers homeless clients to us to house them.
How can we house them if we don’t have basic supplies?“
Ever
since Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in August 2005, the victims
of this disaster continue to face hardships caused by displacement and
the lack of help from the FEMA organization.
FEMA received severe criticism in 2005 due to it’s slow response to the Hurricane Katrina disaster.
Reported by Danielle Harling.
