FEMA dragging its feet in Jefferson County 


The Beaumont Enterprise reported that aid from the federal government is still not getting to the badly damaged communities in Jefferson County. Much needed generators are sitting on trucks in Ford Park and not being released by FEMA. 

According to the Enterprise, Jefferson County Judge Carl Griffith "said the federal government has failed the people of East Texas." Nederland Mayor Bill Nugent said, "We've had out-of-area leaders come in before and tell us a bunch of bull [...] And if I sound upset, I am. It's time to quit being nice." Nugent continued, "[W]e've been screaming and hollering for the generators. They keep saying we're going to get them, but they're sitting on trucks at Ford Park, and we can't get the damn things to Nederland. Give me one more day I'm going to get real nasty."

Earlier, the Enterprise quoted Griffith as saying that he would send police in to Ford Park to take the generators by force if the federal officials didn't release them on Monday. Griffith said, "I called them [FEMA] at 5 p.m. yesterday and said that if they didn't start freeing up generators by 8 p.m., I was going to send police out there to seize them." At a meeting of Jefferson County leaders, Griffith said, "If you get stuff down there and you have enough police there, take it." 

Posted: Monday - September 26, 2005 at 10:47 PM          

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