FEMA Screws More Katrina Victims

Demolitions on Hold
Officials mull over their next move after FEMA refuses to pay

Shortly after the Aug. 29 hurricane, FEMA announced that it would pay 100 percent to demolish structures and remove the debris as soon as the property owners signed right-of-entry forms.

The federal government at the time put no time limit on completing the demolitions and all was moving forward as planned until seven months later when the rules suddenly changed.

That's when FEMA announced that they were halting all demolitions pending individual inspections at each right-of-entry site to determine if the structures met new criteria for demolition reimbursement.

After the inspections started, the city soon learned that FEMA had started rejecting countless properties that had been on the list for demolition since shortly after the storm.

City employee David Groves was with a Crosby Street homeowner Tuesday when two FEMA inspectors walked inside and said the building seemed "OK" to them. Groves said neither of the men were trained in home inspections and were not licensed engineers.

Groves said their criteria for rejecting the demolition request was, "If it doesn't fall on top of you, then it's OK."

The Crosby Street home still needs to come down, he said, because it is a public safety hazard and has to be elevated because it's in a flood zone. In addition, he said, the home is not structurally sound and infested with mold and other bacteria. The home took in four feet of water.

The brick home has cracks in the foundation, cracks in the walls and split rafters in the ceiling. Outside, the brick walls are cracked in places and the walls easily push from side to side.

The homeowner, who wished to remain anonymous, said she didn't know what to do now because she can't rebuild until the existing structures is demolished. She's in a flood zone and has to elevate the home regardless but can't do so if the home doesn't come down first.

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