FEMA Asks Katrina Victims For Its Money Back

Hurricane Katrina was one of the most devastating hurricane’s the country has seen in the past decade. Four years later, victims struggle to piece together and build a new life.

The initial response to the hurricane was poor and it is upsetting the little effort done to restore the area.

Some Hurricane Katrina victims may have repay

Now FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) is trying to retrieve “accidental payments” to those who shouldn’t have received payments, according to reports. To date, FEMA has mailed out nearly 83,000 debt notices.

As the associated press reports,
FEMA is seeking to recover more than $385 million it says was improperly paid to victims of hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma. The debts, which average about $4,622 per recipient, represent slightly less than 5 percent of the roughly $8 billion that FEMA distributed after the storms. At least some of the overpayments were due to FEMA employees’ own mistakes, ranging from clerical errors to failing to interview applicants, according to congressional testimony.

But the agency says it is required by law to make an effort to recover improper payments, even if the recipient wasn’t at fault. Last week, however, Congress approved legislation that would allow FEMA to waive many of the debts. President Barack Obama signed the measure — part of a $1 trillion spending package — into law last Friday.