Hurricane survivors rally in DC
TEXT OF STORY
SCOTT JAGOW: The first tropical storm of the season, Alberto, is barreling toward Florida.About 20,000 people on the Gulf Coast have been told to evacuate. In Washington today, hundreds of victims of last year’s vicious storms are planning to make some noise. They say the government broke its promise to give them money for housing. Eric Niiler reports.
ERIC NIILER: A coalition of groups from New Orleans and the Gulf Coast traveled to Washington this week in a multi-car caravan. They say FEMA wants to stop financial aid to storm victims who still need it. Monique Hardin is co-director of Advocates for Environmental Human Rights.
MONIQUE HARDIN: 30,000 people are facing homelessness as a result of this federal action. And these are people who have no other place to go because their homes have been damaged.
Hardin and others will also take their complaints to Capitol Hill.
A FEMA spokesman said the agency had found 13,000 households were no longer eligible for financial aid. Many victims could not prove they had a lease or mortgage, or they had family members getting aid in different cities.
The protest comes as a federal judge in Houston prepares to hear arguments next week on a lawsuit to force FEMA to keep providing the housing vouchers.
In Washington, I’m Eric Niiler for Marketplace.
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