Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with fema

Flood recovery options sans flood insurance

MysticMCJ — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 11:22:27 -0800

Flood recovery - What all do I need to be concerned with after my house flooded? My city, Louisville, just saw record rainfall. It appeared that the storm centered itself directly over my house, as the water levels raised several feet above the floor line. As a result, we are minus a few vehicles (all totaled) and had to pump out the entire basement, and then some.

We are working on getting the last bit of water out, then we are ventilating the house to assist in drying.

I already expect that we will have to replace the floors- every surface that's not tile shows significant damage. What else do we have to be concerned about?

Here's the kicker- no flood insurance. We live in an area of the city that has simply never seen a flood. Our insurance agent said that flood insurance probably wouldn't have covered this anyways. Can anyone explain that? Are there any sources of disaster relief that could assist us?

What I am ultimaty looking for - what all, aside from clean up, can I do to not only make the house liveable, but pass a home inspection for resale? And who can I contract out some of this to, while staying on a budget?

Sorry if this doesn't make sense, I'm still shocked that it happened.

FEMA-related dramatic tales

np312 — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 14:54:00 -0800

Please recommend some interesting media (specifically articles, books, movies, documentaries, mini-series) about the people working for FEMA. It can be about the search-and-rescue teams, the Washington corruption angle, the legal or environmental aspects, whatever-- I just want to be captivated by dramatic issues involving the world of Federal Emergency Management.

Just to clarify-- I'm not looking for stories of the victims of natural disasters, but the stories of the people who are attempting to HELP the victims, even on a bureaucratic, Washington DC level. Bonus points for articles/other media that focus on any interesting people working for them! (Hero-types and villain-types are good too.)

Thanks!

Stella! What have you heard about me? (Perception of New Orleans)

honeydew — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 15:09:39 -0800

What do non-New Orleanians think about the city and the damage? Is it worth rebuilding? Are you really sick of hearing about it? What do people say about it? In New Orleans, we don't really know what the rest of the world thinks of the situation. It occurs to me that we really have to figure that out if we're going to get, say, levees.

I'm a native New Orleanian and I met a first-time visitor over Mardi Gras. She was amazed by the extent of the damage and how much we're still struggling in weird ways (like not having any stores open at night due to labor shortage), and she said she really had no idea what it was like. The reaction kind of blew me away; she honestly was horrified.

So what do people actually think about New Orleans? How broken do you think it is, and how likely is it to come back, from an outsider's perspective? Is it being over or under-publicized? I really just don't know anyone who hadn't heard constant rants from New Orleans anymore, and I really have no idea what the rest of the world thinks.

Quake! Quake! Triangle of Life ? No. Drop, Cover and Hold on ?

kryptos — Tue, 11 Oct 2005 11:48:54 -0800

Doug Copp advocates finding a Triangle of Life and gives up to 10 tips for an earthquake situation that will ensure maximum survival of the people involved. But his findings and tips has been discredited by the American Red Cross (ARC) who sees it as challenge to their "Drop, Cover and Hold On" safety advice as applied to its use in USA. It said that buildings in the States are constructed to a higher standard which makes the DC&HO method , the one to use. I would have thought if the standards are all that stringent , finding a triangle of life would be much easier and ensure a greater survival quotient in the States, if it was the drilled into the students. They say that "Drop, Cover, and Hold On!" is NOT wrong -- in the United States. and also say that The Red Cross is not saying that identifying potential voids is wrong or inappropriate. But the ARC said DC&HO is the simplest, reliable, and easiest method to teach people, including children. By this , do they mean that it will take more effort and more drills to get children and others to act in a manner counter-intuitive to a DC&HO. And that would equate to more money that needs to be spent ?

The ToL advocated does not seem to be a hoax but yet has found its way onto the snopes.com website that does a good job investigating urban legends and hoaxes and scams. And there was mention there of various cases and accusations against Mr Copp.

By the way, FEMA stands by the ARC. Are their advice carved in stone? After the dismal performance of these two organisations, post-Katrina, I cannot help but feel less confidence in what they have to say and do.

Leaving aside, Mr Copp's personal agenda if any, and the personal problems that Mr Copp will have to resolve himself, his ToL seems to make a lot of sense to me. AMC and FEMA too may have their own agenda. Does it cost more money and drill time to instill into children that they have to do something counter-intuitive to their natural survival instincts ? I would imagine so! Could that be the reason then for discrediting Mr Copp. Couldn't a better survival protocol be drawn up incorporating the best of both, with what i would imagine greater empasis on Mr Copp's method. Yes, my bias is towards ToL.

Sorry for the rather longish preamble to a question but here it comes.
My question to Ask Metafilter:

What to do? I have confused friends in LA with school-going children wanting to know . They want to talk to teachers as to what is best. Are there are other groups with no agendas, hidden or other-wise, who could help answer this? What do guys think ?

Why does FEMA hate communication?

aaronetc — Tue, 06 Sep 2005 17:32:53 -0800

Why would FEMA cut the emergency communication lines in Jefferson Parish? Jefferson Parish President Aaron Broussard reported on last Sunday's Meet the Press that FEMA came in and cut their lines. He then had the Sheriff reconnect the lines and post armed guards to protect them. (Video here.)

What is the official explanation for it? What could possibly justify it?