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FEMA Corrects Error - 2 Million People Displaced by Rita and Katrina |
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Written by Staff
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Friday, 13 January 2006 |
The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on Thursday drastically increased its official tally of people displaced from their homes because of Hurricanes Rita and Katrina and explained the erroneous numbers as "reporting errors".
The official count now stands at a staggering 2 million people currently displaced from various areas in the U.S. Gulf coast region. FEMA's initial estimations of the displaced and homeless immediately after hurricane Katrina stood at 300,000 families based on a family comprised of three people. In October that number rose to between 450,000 and 600,000 displaced and homeless families.
It wasn't until December when it was discovered that those figures were being based on counting errors from within the agency. Instead of including families who were receiving traditional disaster aid assistance, only those recipients of the newly created transitional housing assistance program were being counted.
The original number released by FEMA was 167,000 familes in total. When the error was discovered, that number rose to 685,635 displaced families with homes that were either destroyed or seriously damaged and who are now receiving some form of FEMA assistance.
All previously FEMA-set deadlines allowing Katrina evacuees subsidized hotel/motel accomodations has been extended by a federal judge to at least March 1. |
