Storm Hit Little, but Aid Flowed

From a report in The New York Times:

JACKSON, Miss., Nov. 19 – When the federal government and the nation’s largest disaster relief group reached out a helping hand after Hurricane Katrina blew through here, tens of thousands of people grabbed it.

But in giving out $62 million in aid, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the American Red Cross overlooked a critical fact: the storm was hardly catastrophic here, 160 miles from the coast. The only damage sustained by most of the nearly 30,000 households receiving aid was spoiled food in the freezer.

The fact that at least some relief money has gone to those perceived as greedy, not needy, has set off recriminations in this poor, historic capital where the payments of up to $2,358 set off spending sprees on jewelry, guns and electronics.

For NewMexiKen’s part, I’m perfectly happy buying jewelry, guns and electronics for the fine people in Jackson, Mississippi, with my tax dollars, aren’t you?

One thought on “Storm Hit Little, but Aid Flowed”

  1. Most means most and not all, but my relatives in Jackson report that there was considerable damage sustained by many in their neighborhood.

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