The FEMA Scandal

In my ongoing reporting on the hurricane efforts here, I've mentioned that I haven't seen a FEMA person. I still haven't, though I'm told they've got a place in the county seat you can go to and talk to one if you want. I have also heard reports from other areas of the state that FEMA is more active there, and that may simply mean that they have been triaging their reaction to the worst zones. Triage is normal in emergency operations, and not the sign of anything untoward. 

That said, everyone I know who applied for aid got turned down by FEMA. Publicly the Feds promised '$750,' but really it was an indefinite figure and you had to fill out an application and go through a long process, one that allowed them to reject you for many different reasons. One reason was 'we weren't able to meet with you to verify your claims,' which if they wanted to verify claims about your property losses presumably means they had to come out to your property. 

So when I hear that they just avoided houses with Trump signs, I wonder if voting maps were another resource for determining which areas to visit. Allegedly, avoiding 'hostile' houses is departmental policy -- and maybe avoiding 'communities' where the 'trend' was thought negative.

On "Fox News @ Night," Washington clarified that bypassing properties that sport Trump signs is part of a broader policy designed to protect the safety of FEMA personnel. So, staffers have the right to skip over houses displaying Trump signage if they feel "uncomfortable," she said, similar to the fear of aggressive animals that are unchained and running loose.

So, the policy isn't specifically about avoiding Trump supporters per se, Washington insisted. The guidelines instruct FEMA workers to avoid any situation that may make them feel unsafe — such as an off-leash dog, she suggested.... 

"So the people [with] FEMA were fearing the Trump houses like they were fearing people with vicious dogs in their backyards?" Fox News host Trace Gallagher pressed.

"Exactly," Washington replied. "Unfortunately, the passionate supporters for Trump, some of them were a little bit violent."...

"This was the culture. They were already avoiding these homes based on community trends from hostile political encounters. It has nothing to do with the campaign sign. It just so happened to be part of the community trend," Washington went on.

I don't claim to have any definite information about this beyond having never met a FEMA person in the whole rescue operation. As I said above, that could simply be understandable triage of the sort that is normal and necessary. Her testimony invites questions, however. I'm sure we'll all be interested in the answers.