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6 Investigates Follow-Up: FEMA’s rejects

Posted at 2:33 PM, Mar 21, 2019
and last updated 2019-03-21 19:02:53-04

6 Investigates uncovered an uncomfortable fact after Hurricane Harvey made landfall in 2017.

And it was that FEMA rejected applications from assistance originating out of Harvey’s hardest-hit areas by the tens of thousands.

Of about 72,000 applications from individuals and households, the agency rejected 43%, based on information we obtained under Federal open records laws.

Back then, FEMA’s top Texas official told 6 Investigates too many people saw FEMA not as a relief organization but as a type of insurer or financial lender. And for many, the lessons came hard as families who lost everything, struggled to regain their financial footing.

Now, the agency is sharing tips on how to be financially prepared, should another storm strike the Coastal Bend.

 

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