Throwing money at the problem

The Biloxi Sun Herald's special report is worth a read, if only to keep it in mind anytime a talking head blithely asserts that "X billion dollars" was spent on hurricane relief - as if the dollar figure itself was proof of an adequate response.

Where did the money go?

It's hard for the average working stiff to contemplate a number as vast as the $23.5 billion the federal government has allocated to Mississippi for Katrina recovery.

Think of it this way:

It's enough money to buy two average-sized houses for each of the 65,000 families in Mississippi who lost their homes.

Despite that, we still have people living in FEMA trailers.

In any relief operation of this size - things are going to go wrong. Money will be wasted. But that shouldn't allow us to shrug our shoulders and keep doing the same thing.

At a minimum, we should stay informed about what has truly happened and demand that our leaders (and those who would be our leaders) do the same.

Brownie's law looks like a good idea, although it's sad to think this would be what passes for innovation these days.

My family's limited experience with FEMA spans the spectrum.

Being able to apply for aid on the phone was very encouraging - however my mom's neighborhood was without phones for six weeks.

The bureaucratic hurdles were so much that many people simply gave up. I know for a fact that in one family the mother quit trying after repeated attempts. Her daughter called FEMA, posed as her mother, and completed the application. It was technically fraud, but they got their money.

Mom's neighbor applied for a trailer and waited the expected three months for his trailer. When none arrived, he was told he wasn't on the list, but they would be happy to sign him up.

And there was this one lady I didn't know at all. She's stuck in my head even though I'd only seen her for a few minutes. We'd gone to the post office to pick up her mail. Everything was held at the central post office, and there was no delivery anywhere.

Mom knew what to do, so I just waited in the car for her to come back. A woman in a beater car pulled in next to me and went in. A few minutes later, she came out with a bundle of mail.

She piled into her car and just sat there for awhile. That's what got my attention. She looked beat. She had her mail in her lap and just sat there. After a while, she slowly picked up a letter from the top of the stack and tore it open. It was very clearly a letter from FEMA.

She read her letter for a few moments and then slumped forward and burst into sobs. I'm sitting three feet from her and our windows are down - I'm doing my best not to be invisible so she won't feel embarrassed. In my rear view mirror, I could see mom was coming back, carrying the last month and a half of mail. She walked between this woman's car and ours and got in.
Mom started talking about what letters we'd need to get to first.

I started the car and we pulled out. The woman next to us never even looked up. Letter in hand, she just sat there quietly going to pieces.

I have no idea what this person's situation was, but it was clear that FEMA hadn't helped any. This woman did not get aid, and my own family (whose living conditions were considerably better than most in the neighborhood) did. Ours took six months, but more deserving people are still waiting.

It may be typical, but it sure as hell shouldn't be.