North Port storm victim approved for FEMA assistance later denied funds - WFLA

NORTH PORT, Fla. (WFLA) – Pam Johnson’s North Port location suffered important harm during Hurricane Ian. Panels and parts of the extortion were ripped distant successful the wind, leaving a costly messiness for her and her husband.

Johnson applied for FEMA assistance arsenic soon arsenic she was capable to and received a missive dated Oct. 3, stating she had been approved for $700 successful Critical Needs Assistance, which tin screen expenses for items specified arsenic food, water, hygiene products, and prescriptions among different things.

“I person not asked for assistance excessively much, but we truly needed it this time. We needed it conscionable to get by,” said the homeowner.

Johnson waiting weeks, checking her slope relationship and her message for the funds. This week, she got successful interaction with FEMA lone to larn the wealth they had promised her would not beryllium coming through.

“They told maine that they had sent hundreds of these letters retired by mistake. So there’s a batch of different radical that volition get these letters expecting checks that aren’t going to get them,” said Johnson. “I privation radical to cognize that they whitethorn not beryllium getting what they were promised.”

8 On Your Side asked for an mentation connected Tuesday. We were told the bureau precocious discovered respective improper payments were processed and by law, FEMA is required to question betterment of those funds. In each 441 applicants were impacted, however, 271 of them were made eligible astatine a aboriginal date.

“We are committed to addressing the needs of survivors, particularly those with added economical burden, and are contacting each idiosyncratic who received an improper payment to find the champion people of enactment for their unsocial situation,” said a FEMA spokesperson successful an email to 8 On Your Side.

“It is atrocious capable that you were going done thing similar this, but to beryllium promised by the national authorities that you were going to get immoderate benignant of assistance, adjacent though it was little. Just a small happening means a batch erstwhile you are going done a disaster,” said Johnson. “You don’t slope connected definite things, similar you slope connected a paycheck due to the fact that you person worked for it. This is FEMA – support -you slope connected it, it is simply a national assistance program,” she continued.