FEMA: "Due to the----------------- this call will automatically disconnect

[Imagevision]

After explaining about the tremendous response it suggests that you try again at another time 1-800-621-FEMA

BUSH: "why would I want to get rid of the director of Fema"?

[Whoa_Nelly]

1. But...but...* SAID just today for disaster victims to call FEMA

to receive their $2,000 if they haven't already.

Geez! :argh:

[donco6]

2. And they couldn't forsee that, either?

Jeez. It was as inevitable as the hurricane itself.

[lateo]

3. I heard about this on NPR today. They had the Mayor of Petal MS on..

Neil Conan asked him if anyone from FEMA was on the ground in Petal helping them...the answer...

A hesitant..no.

The mayor then tried to dance around that a bit but he did bring up the fact that since they don't have power the FEMA website doesn't do them any good. When the call the 800 number it gives the message mentioned above and hangs up.


Good job Brownie.

[Witchy_Dem]

5. Heard this too and thought it was a nice little piece of information.

[thatgemguy]

4. You have to keep trying

Our area was hit with flooding from Hurricane Francis and Ivan last year. We went through the same thing trying to contact FEMA, it took a long time and many attempts but eventually we were able to get through to start an application for assistance.

Imagine with the wide spread damage there are many people trying to get through on those phone lines. You have to keep trying and preferably try at other times than just business hours. They answer the phones well into the evening hours.

This is a situation where the demand for service overwhelms the capacity to handle things.

KEEP TRYING!!!

[NYC]

7. But the mayor ought to be able to get through.

Nagin couldn't reach the White House when the generator was flooding so that they lost pump #6. (That was when the sandbagging helicopter didn't show up, and Nagin didn't know why.)

[DoYouEverWonder]

6. I think people reported that their phones were busy

for most of the hurricane. Makes it hard to tell people what to do when nobody is home.

[Warren DeMontague]

8. Wow. Thank God They Cut All Those Phone Lines

Otherwise they'd be getting even MORE calls.