Woman is shocked to get $6,000 from FEMA

Liz Taylor opened her mother's mail last week to find two checks worth nearly $6,000 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The checks were written to Sandcastle Apartments, owned by Taylor's mother, for housing Hurricane Katrina evacuees.

But the two Madeira Beach units haven't housed any evacuees.

"I was shocked when they came, and certainly I never considered cashing them," said Geraldine Taylor, 86. "The way it was written out, I could have cashed it!"

She asked her daughter to investigate.

Liz Taylor, 47, of Tampa sent an e-mail to Corporate Lodging Consultants of Wichita, Kan., which sent the checks. The consulting company works for the American Red Cross, which FEMA uses to administer a lodging reimbursement program.

Kyle Rogg, Corporate Lodging senior vice president, saw the e-mail from Liz Taylor with the subject line, "Wrong Check." He called her back within minutes.

"Our preference would be that situations like this never happened," Rogg said Monday.


http://www.sptimes.com/2005/10/04/State/FEMA_pay_puzzles_land.shtml

This woman was honest.... otherwise who would have been the wiser?

I wonder how many others received checks by mistake and just cashed them?

SewingDeb said:

I wonder how many others received checks by mistake and just cashed them?

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Who knows??? This instance was probably not all that unusual. In a situation like this, FEMA passes out money like there was no tromorrow. No telling how much of it goes astray. Whenever money is being passed out, the scam artists will be quick to line up to get theirs. I wonder if a few of these people that applied for aid, used the Sandcastle Apts as the place where they went to stay after Katrina??

Um, that $6,000 was meant for me.

Can you just tell her to go ahead and forward it??

At first I thought they meant "Liz" Taylor - Elizabeth Taylor. :blushing: :blushing:

Casshew said:

Liz Taylor opened her mother's mail last week to find two checks worth nearly $6,000 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The checks were written to Sandcastle Apartments, owned by Taylor's mother, for housing Hurricane Katrina evacuees.

But the two Madeira Beach units haven't housed any evacuees.

"I was shocked when they came, and certainly I never considered cashing them," said Geraldine Taylor, 86. "The way it was written out, I could have cashed it!"

She asked her daughter to investigate.

Liz Taylor, 47, of Tampa sent an e-mail to Corporate Lodging Consultants of Wichita, Kan., which sent the checks. The consulting company works for the American Red Cross, which FEMA uses to administer a lodging reimbursement program.

Kyle Rogg, Corporate Lodging senior vice president, saw the e-mail from Liz Taylor with the subject line, "Wrong Check." He called her back within minutes.

"Our preference would be that situations like this never happened," Rogg said Monday.


http://www.sptimes.com/2005/10/04/State/FEMA_pay_puzzles_land.shtml

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Good grief, that boo-boo was bad enough, kind of put a damper on my giving any more $$$ for Hurricaine Relief

When I read the link you posted I read below the article the story about:
Floridian indicted in Internet fraud for 'Katrina aid'

That story litterly pizzed me off.........disgusting :furious:

I heard a brief statement on our local Florida radio station saying that people would be getting letters from FEMA. FEMA wants their money back. This is in regards to the 2004 hurricanes. Most of the people I have talked to this past year we're surprized how much they received from FEMA. In fact, most were surprized to get any help at all. Normal people living normal lives are not aware of all the handouts the government supplies.

Beyond Belief said:

I heard a brief statement on our local Florida radio station saying that people would be getting letters from FEMA. FEMA wants their money back. This is in regards to the 2004 hurricanes. Most of the people I have talked to this past year we're surprized how much they received from FEMA. In fact, most were surprized to get any help at all. Normal people living normal lives are not aware of all the handouts the government supplies.

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FEMA wants the money back that they gave previous victims? Isn't that given as a gift? How can they expect people to reimburse money received from them when the money probably went to replace the belongings, homes or whatever they lost?

The more I hear about FEMA the more I just shake my head. Talk about an unorganized outfit. Red Cross hands over all donations to FEMA? I guess if a person wants to make sure their donation gets into the hands of a real survivor they have to put it their hand themselves.

Bobbisangel said:

FEMA wants the money back that they gave previous victims? Isn't that given as a gift? How can they expect people to reimburse money received from them when the money probably went to replace the belongings, homes or whatever they lost?

The more I hear about FEMA the more I just shake my head. Talk about an unorganized outfit. Red Cross hands over all donations to FEMA? I guess if a person wants to make sure their donation gets into the hands of a real survivor they have to put it their hand themselves.

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People who work for FEMA are very happy. I know of a retired person who lives in Northern CA, a formal social services person, and any time there is a disaster anywhere, he flies in to assist, and is paid extremely well for his effforts. He considers it the ideal retirement job; it's only occasionally, and it pays extremely well.

A woman I know of on another board lost her home and everything her family owned. Unfortunately, she also had to give up her beloved cats in order to find temporary shelter for her family. She's married with two small children. Hubby has no job to return to and they don't have a penny to their names. FEMA says they're not eligible for help. Yet FEMA wasted hundreds of thousands of dollars shipping ice meant for NO residents to Maine for storage. I just don't get it.