The Seattle Times: Opinion: Surviving FEMA's cold shoulder

The Seattle Times: Opinion: Surviving FEMA's cold shoulder: "Surviving FEMA's cold shoulder

The old expression of moving one step forward and two steps back sums it up nicely for the victims of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

After a hapless initial response in which federal and local officials bumped heads and dropped balls like a Three Stooges routine, assistance has flowed to the hundreds of thousands displaced by the worst natural disasters in our history.

Now we're falling backward and the people who can least afford the lapse will pay the price. The Federal Emergency Management Agency plans to end hotel payments to hurricane victims by Dec. 15 and rent subsidies by March. The agency that kept its inept leader, Michael Brown, on the payroll long past his pull date now wants to pinch pennies?

The majority of hurricane evacuees are not back in their homes. Many will never go back. Their existence currently entails navigating new cities, temporary housing and finding work. Federal officials don't deny this reality but instead point to state and local governments to pick up the task of assisting evacuees."