Forgotten Victims of Hurricane Katrina: Middle-Class Families Feel Neglect by Government

As Hurricane Katrina left a trail of devastation in its wake, hundreds of thousands of people were left to fend for themselves, including middle-class families like Patty Rome and Rick Pfalzgraf, who were forced to flee their home in St. Bernard Parish outside New Orleans. Despite the government's efforts to provide aid, many of these families feel neglected and left behind, struggling to make ends meet and cope with the loss of their homes and livelihoods.

Key Takeaways:

• Many middle-class families, like Patty Rome and Rick Pfalzgraf, feel that the government is not doing enough to help them, despite being victims of the hurricane. They have been left to rely on family, friends, and strangers for support.
• The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has distributed over $1 billion to over 500,000 households, mostly through checks and direct deposits, but critics argue that this is not enough to meet the needs of all affected families.
• There are no income criteria for emergency assistance from FEMA for people whose primary residence was in the disaster area, but many families are still struggling to get the help they need.
• Some displaced residents, like Joan Judycki, are worried about the fate of the working, tax-paying base of New Orleans, and whether they will return to rebuild the city.
• The bureaucratic nightmare of trying to get help from FEMA has led to frustration and exhaustion among those affected, with jammed phone lines, crashing Web pages, and incomplete information exacerbating the problem.
• The precedent of the Sept. 11 attacks, which saw Congress set up a special fund for families of the dead, may be driving expectations that the federal government should take care of victims of a catastrophic natural disaster.

Statistics:

• Over $1 billion has been distributed by FEMA to over 500,000 households, mostly through checks and direct deposits.
• More than 500,000 households have received FEMA assistance, but many more are still waiting for help.
• The number of people relying on family, friends, and strangers for support is growing, as they struggle to cope with the loss of their homes and livelihoods.
• The number of people whose primary residence was in the disaster area, but who have been rejected for FEMA aid, is unknown, but many have reported being initially rejected only to be later found eligible after numerous phone calls or long waits.

Sources:

• Tracy and Todd Belott, a nurse and doctor from New Orleans, as quoted in the article
• Patty Rome and Rick Pfalzgraf, a middle-class couple from St. Bernard Parish, as quoted in the article
• Michelle Taylor, a software consultant from New Orleans, as quoted in the article
• James McIntyre, a FEMA spokesman, as quoted in the article
• Joan Judycki, a homeowner from New Orleans, as quoted in the article
• Kenneth R. Feinberg, special master of the Sept 11th Victim Compensation Fund, as quoted in the article
• Nancy Foner, a sociologist at Hunter College, as quoted in the article