Something frustrating

[heidi]

Since there's been a diaspora from the Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama areas, I think it would be good for everyone if the national newscasts spent a smidge of time covering what people who have been forced from their homes can do, in terms of contacting their insurers to find out about what their homeowners' policy will pay for in terms of food and shelter, or if they rent, the fact that they possibly don't need to pay rent on an uninhabitable place, and if their job is gone, there will be unemployment benefits which will probably be supplemented by FEMA, etc. These were all things we learned about down here after Andrew, and right now, people feel so lost and shellshocked and I don't think the tv networks are really helping explain, as much as they can.

ETA: FEMA has put up a page of resources for those suffering the impact of Katrina.

Comments

[gorgeousnerd]

I agree. One of my friends just moved down there and her mother had just gotten a job when the hurricane hit, and now their apartment is destroyed and she has no clue what to do, especially with the money aspect.

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

While I won't give legal advice, the likelihood is very, very strong that they don't owe any rent for at least the month of September. And many businesses have insurance that allows them to pay their employees if the business is closed and destroyed because of a hurricane, but of course it's up to each employer. One thing is for sure - Freddie Mac, the mortgage thingy, has put mortgage relief policies into action and says they will reduce or suspend mortgage payments for up to 12 months for borrowers with Freddie Mac-owned mortgages in the declared major-disaster areas. It's something, at least.

[elseinane.livejournal.com]

Thank you for posting this - and no - none of this information is making it to the refugees. I am one (lucky to be staying with family with some computer access). Phone/internet access is next to non-existent. TV is more just sensational stories. Radio (if you can get it) is the only usable information.
People are getting asked to leave hotels for those people with reservations; others are just flat broke now and no one has a paycheck coming in.

Thanks for the post again,
~Elise

[hedwig-snowy.livejournal.com]

It would be nice if the local TV and radio stations got directions from Federal, State, and Local Govts and the businesses, charities, and organizations that are moving in to help and spent their air time giving helpful information like that. I'm not sure how much help it would be (except for those up past Jackson) to have CNN give them help tips as no one has cable at the moment. I get your point though. Don't spend 60 mins every hour showing looting and old video when you can use some of that time to give out real information that might help even more.

[darkjediprncess.livejournal.com]

While it would be a nice thing for the news to do, these are three of the poorest states in the country and the hardest hit were the poor and undereducated.

Most of these folks (at least 40%) don't have insurance of any kind. There's no insurer to call.

[gorgeousnerd]

Well, that's good to know. Thanks a bunch; I'll pass this info along to her. At least it'll give her a place to start.

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

I heard - stupid FSU/UM football game - there are shelters where people can go for the weekend, and hten they can come back into the hotels, but that's ridiculous - people need stability, not this sort of chaos in an already chaotic time.

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

Then for the poor people, the government needs to be pro-active in different ways - governments, as I understand it, haven't even announced whether people in subsidized housing need to pay rent today, or who to pay it to. There needs to be clarity of message, and the messages should have been generated years ago and been just waiting for a time to be distributed, and they weren't.