eggplant
eggplant's JournalSonia Sotomayor needs to retire in the next two months.
And the Senate should ram through her replacement.
Along with filling EVERY open judgeship.
And then we need to ship every weapon not bolted down to Ukraine.
And give them permission to use them anywhere.
Anything I miss?
My (unpublished) op-ed about our FEMA experience after Irene and Lee in 2011.
Our faith in our government was restored in the past month, after Tropical Storms Irene and Lee made their way across the Northeast. We consider ourselves very lucky. We sustained major damage to our property, but nobody was injured. Our house was mostly undamaged, except for some flooding in our basement. We have seen the devastation that our neighbors and nearby towns suffered, and we count our blessings.
Like most Americans, we remember the haunting images of Katrina and its aftermath. We remember the formaldehyde-laden trailers. We remember the Superdome, the failed levees, the complete indifference and political infighting. We remember “Heck of a job, Brownie” as the hallmark of government incompetence.
It took three weeks for my insurance company to bother to send an adjuster to our house after the August storms, and we’re still fighting with them over what, in the grand scheme of things, is a minor claim to them. We have experienced insurance claims in the past – minor fender benders and the like – and they are typically businesslike, bureaucratic processes that, in the end, leave you feeling worn out but hopefully at least compensated for your loss. It’s always a fight, it’s always stressful, and we’ve certainly never felt whole afterwards.
We contrast this with our experience dealing with FEMA. On Friday, September 9th, we went online to DisasterAssistance.gov and filled out a simple form requesting help. Two days later, on a Sunday – and not just any Sunday, but the 10th anniversary of the WTC attacks – the nicest gentleman from FEMA came to our house, surveyed our property, asked whether we had all of the basic necessities to get by; a working stove, furnace, clean water, dehumidifiers to prevent mold growth, and so on. He explained that FEMA’s job was not to rebuild everything, but to ensure we could get through the immediate crisis. The very next day, we received an email from FEMA telling us they were offering us a grant to help pay for the cost of ensuring that our appliances were all safe and functional, and to help rebuild our completely destroyed driveway. Through direct deposit, the money was in our bank account 48 hours later.
The gentleman from FEMA made sure to point us to all of the other resources available to us to help with the rest of our recovery. The SBA offered us a long-term, low-interest rate loan to help us repair our land, remove debris, and make everything nice again. They included funds to help prevent future disasters. The IRS extended filing deadlines for people in disaster areas. Crisis counseling is available to help people cope with the stress. Social Security and the Veterans Administrations are there to help make sure people don’t have to suffer any delays of services, and to expedite benefits claims. Unemployment Assistance is there for people who are unable to work because of disasters. And all of these services were made accessible after filling out one simple online form, or just by calling (800) 621-3362. At every step of the way, we were made to feel that we were citizens, and that they were there to serve our needs, and to help us weather our personal storm and to come out the other side undamaged, both physically and emotionally.
This is truly government of the people, by the people, and for the people. This is how it is supposed to work. All of the hardworking staff at FEMA, SBA, IRS, and all of the other agencies are working tirelessly to help those people truly in need, and they all deserve our thanks and support.
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