Some New Jersey hurricane victims are complaining that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is doing more harm than Superstorm Sandy did when it hit over four months ago and washed away their homes and businesses. “FEMA has caused more damage to the shore than Sandy did,” said George Kasimos, a flood victim from Toms River, N.J. Go To Site

Oct 30: "A Big Storm Requires Big Govt." 2 wks later: "Grassroots Groups Have Taken Over #Sandy Relief" Go To Site

FEMA's vaunted "lean forward" strategy that called for advanced staging of supplies for emergency distribution failed to live up to its billing in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. In fact, the agency appears to have been completely unprepared to distribute bottled water to Hurricane Sandy victims when the storm hit this Monday. In contrast to its stated policy, FEMA failed to have any meaningful supplies of bottled water -- or any other supplies, for that matter -- stored in nearby facilities as it had proclaimed it would on its website. This was the case despite several days advance warning of the impending storm. Go To Site

FEMA teams told to 'sightsee' as Sandy victims suffered

Government, Incompetence, Oops

A FEMA worker who spoke to FoxNews.com described a chaotic scene at New Jersey's Fort Dix, where emergency workers arrived as the storm bore down on the Atlantic Coast. The worker said officials at the staging area were unprepared and told the incoming responders there was nothing for them to do for nearly four days. “They told us to hurry, hurry, hurry," the worker, who works at the agency's headquarters in Washington and volunteered to deploy for the storm recovery effort. "We rushed to Fort Dix, only to find out that our liaison didn’t even know we were coming.”... “They told us to go to the Walmart nearby or to check out the area but told us to stay out of the areas affected by the storm,” the worker said.

FEMA Disaster Centers Shut Doors 'Due to Weather'

Editorial, Government, Incompetence, Brilliance

TOTTENVILLE — They fly into disaster areas, but flee from raindrops. FEMA disaster recovery centers in Hurricane Sandy-ravaged sections of the city that were supposed to provide assistance to hurricane victims went MIA Wednesday morning, posting signs saying that they were closed due to the approaching Nor'easter. The temporary shuttering of the facilities, which help victims register for disaster relief, as well as city food distribution centers come even as many of those still reeling from the monster storm were not told that they had to leave the battered areas.

Trailer Dispute May Mean Thousands Will Go Unused - New York Times

Government, Incompetence

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 — Mobile homes worth hundreds of millions of dollars are deteriorating in a muddy field in Arkansas and may never be used to house victims of Hurricane Katrina because of a dispute over where to install them, federal officials acknowledged Monday.

AP IMPACT: FEMA asks for return of disaster aid - FoxNews.com

Government, Incompetence

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – The Federal Emergency Management Agency is asking thousands of Americans who were victims of natural disasters to return more than $22 million in government aid, acknowledging it mistakenly made payments to many people who were ineligible.