has suppressed warnings from its own field workers about health problems experienced by hurricane victims living in government-provided trailers with levels of a toxic chemical 75 times the recommended maximum for U.S. workers, congressional lawmakers said yesterday.
How wonderful to have lost just about all your possessions in Hurricane Katrina and then get moved into temporary shelter that ends up endangering your health. The main thing FEMA was worrying about was how not to be held liable for these potential problems:
A FEMA lawyer, Patrick Preston, wrote on June 15: “Do not initiate any testing until we give the OK. . . . Once you get results and should they indicate some problem, the clock is running on our duty to respond to them.”
And then this:
One man in Slidell, La., was found dead in his trailer on June 27, 2006, after complaining about the formaldehyde fumes. In a conference call about the death, 28 officials from six agencies recommended that the circumstances be investigated and trailer air quality be subjected to independent testing. But FEMA lawyers rejected the suggestions, with one, Adrian Sevier, cautioning that further investigation not approved by lawyers “could seriously undermine the Agency’s position” in litigation.
How the hell do these people sleep at night? Oh I forgot they’re lawyers.
FEMA is supposed to be helping people after a disaster not creating another disaster.
1 comment:
You forget that the whole ethos of the Bush/Cheney regime has been to screw ordinary people until they get caught, then make sure the blame doesn't stick. So, these FEMA "people" are just being loyal servants of the ruling regime--people be damned.
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