Meng and Malliotakis Call on Head of FEMA to Address Low Amounts of Aid Provided to New York Ida Victims

November 22, 2021
Press Release

Lawmakers send letter calling for problem to be fixed

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Reps. Grace Meng (D-Queens) and Nicole Malliotakis (R-Staten Island/Brooklyn) today urged the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to address the low amounts of disaster aid that the agency has provided to New Yorkers who sustained extensive damage from the recent flooding caused by the remnants of Hurricane Ida.
In a letter to FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, the Congresswomen said they have been contacted by constituents who have received extremely low payouts for major devastation that the storm caused to their homes. These FEMA payments do not even come close to meeting their repair needs. In just two of the many cases, a local resident received just $5,000 for $30,000 in damages, and another got only $5,500 for $50,000 in damages.
"The remnants of Hurricane Ida wreaked havoc on our region with my congressional district among the hardest hit by the unprecedented flooding," said Congresswoman Meng. "Many of those I represent continue to struggle with making repairs and replacing their belongings, and the small payouts by FEMA are only making it harder for these individuals to get back on their feet. FEMA must do better. We call on the agency to immediately fix this problem so that constituents can move forward with recovering from the storm and getting their lives back on track."
"The remnants of Hurricane Ida caused serious damage to residents in my community and the current FEMA payouts don't even come close to covering the cost of their repairs," said Congresswoman Malliotakis. "I urge FEMA to immediately address this issue and review appeals more thoroughly to provide residents the aid they deserve."
The letter by Meng and Malliotakis also asks FEMA to reduce barriers that Limited English Proficient communities have faced in seeking disaster relief, specifically requesting that the agency hire an individual with appropriate language skills help with the process.
A copy of the correspondence can be viewed here, and the text is below.
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The Honorable Deanne Criswell
Administrator
Federal Emergency Management Agency
500 C St. SW
Washington, D.C. 20024
Dear Administrator Criswell:
Thank you for leading the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) efforts in response to the effects of Tropical Depression Ida that struck New York on September 1. FEMA's disaster relief programs—specifically the Individuals and Households Program (IHP)—are essential for New Yorkers in the wake of the natural disaster that claimed dozens of lives and destroyed billions of dollars of property. Yet, we write with concern that FEMA's IHP assistance has been painfully short of meeting our constituents' needs as they rebuild their lives.
As you know, Tropical Depression Ida caused enormous economic damage, and some estimate the total cost could be as high as $95 billion for all states impacted; given the immense destruction the flooding caused, New York City's share of this number is certain to be high. As our City continues to rebuild, it is crucial that New Yorkers have enough funding to repair their homes and restore their possessions.
Yet, this has not been the case as many of our constituents have reached out to us about receiving low payouts from FEMA. One constituent who applied for assistance received approximately $5,500, but their receipts and repair proposals of damages were in the range of at least $50,000. There are other stories like this and it is deeply concerning that families continue to struggle.
Low payouts have forced them to file more paperwork to appeal those decisions and to stretch a few thousand dollars to cover tens of thousands of dollars of damage. For Limited English Proficient communities, they have additional barriers to seeking relief. This is troubling and we seek answers to the following questions:
  1. Without access to granular data on IHP registration, determination, and appeals, what programmatic policies and values are applied in determining awards? What level of damage provides larger awards or ranges of awards?
  1. FEMA has 90 days to respond to an appeal. What is FEMA's average response rate in this disaster and how does this compare with prior disasters?
  1. FEMA responds to appeals in English and Spanish, but this leaves out other communities who speak languages like Mandarin or Korean. Hence, those individuals must find someone or service to help process their appeals application with FEMA. What can FEMA do to help reduce this barrier and simplify the process? Could FEMA hire someone with the appropriate language skills to help with the registration process?
As we approach the holiday season, it is imperative that we work together to fix the issue of low payouts. Thank you for your attention to this matter. We look forward to working with you to address this situation.
Sincerely,