No Aid for Flooded Families
Government looking out for government… go figure.
A disaster declaration issued Wednesday by President Barack Obama provides help for local governments but nothing for the hundreds of residents who suffered property damage, saw appliances and household goods ruined, or lost entire homes in last month’s flooding.
Gov. Jim Doyle and other elected officials promised to push for federal cash to help residents and business owners affected by the July 22 and 23 storms.
[...]
Milwaukee is at a disadvantage because the federal guidelines call for consideration of damage to first floors of homes or above, and many of the homes hit in Milwaukee had mainly basement damage.
Barrett noted that many basements in Milwaukee are used as living spaces.
“I think that works as a disservice in the upper Midwest like Milwaukee, where many homes have basements,” the mayor said about the federal guidelines.
WHAT!?!? A stupid bureaucratic rule made in Washington without any allowances for local considerations? Unheard of! Absurd!
And yet, conservatives screamed bloody murder at the kinds of assistance provided to individuals who were dumb enough to build their homes below sea level in New Orleans. This is no different. If you build below ground level, you should at least be smart enough to understand the risk you’re taking on by doing so.
There’s a reason that even most flood insurance providers won’t cover finished basements.
Posted by Recess Supervisor on August 11, 2010 at 2216 hrs
Recess
Building below sea level is termed building in a flood plain and is in no way related to constructing a basement. When people build homes should they be able to look into a crystal ball and predict the municipality will be light years behind in providing basic underground utilities that can handle storm water? But thats another post.. We are not the deep south we have freeze and thaw issues to deal with that require proper foundations below the frost line, not to mention basements require access and provide warmth so all your piping below the floor wont freeze.
I guess your the only one dumb enough to build in Wisconsin without one. A simple downspout from your gutter not replaced after cutting lawn can be the cause of water in your basement and the world is full of rocket scientists like yourself with every degree known to mankind but yet not enough common sense to come in out of the rain is why insurance companies shy from flooding.Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 11, 2010 at 2344 hrs
C’mon RS - you don’t think there’s a difference between building below sea level in NO and a building basements here? My understanding is that the state of Wisconsin actually requires basements in the building code. Now you could argue that choosing to finish basements & put things of value down there is an unwise choice - but local officials also made all kinds of promises about the deep tunnel solving the problem and that it would take a hundred-year type of storm/flood to cause the problems.
What I find interesting about the feds deciding not to help out in this case…yet another stinging indictment of our lame duck governor. Could Obama & his administration b*tch slap him any harder? Doyle did all he could to campaign for Obama and it seemed pretty clear that he was angling for a position in his administration. Considering the people who did get jobs (ie a tax cheat for Treasury, etc) talk about a stunning vote of no confidence that Doyle was left out. And apparently, not an ounce of guilt over it - as here was a chance to do something for his state. Lucy just keeps on pulling the ball away from Charlie Brown. As if the list of ways Doyle has failed the state needed to get an longer. Barret or Walker, thank god Jim Doyle is done screwing the state.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 12, 2010 at 0031 hrs
We should help those who need helps.
Posted by juicy couture on August 12, 2010 at 0332 hrs
These people need to join a union then the federal money would flow.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 12, 2010 at 0510 hrs
I agree with Recess on this.
Everyone around here knows that basements flood in the city. They have for decades. Put valuables or live down there at your own peril. Not the government’s responsibility to pay for decisions there.
Note that I also believe this type of common sense rules should apply to all these other places that do get FEMA money but are obvious bad places for people to live. i.e. All those people in flood plains, next to rivers that can rise five feet every ten to twenty years, etc. The double standard problem is that those people get the aid and Milwaukee does not. That said, I think neither should get it.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 12, 2010 at 0726 hrs
Couldn’t someone get an insurance rider to cover back flows into their basements?
I guess getting water in one’s basement and asking for money doesn’t qualify for the usual conservative bitching about government handouts.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 12, 2010 at 0914 hrs
And yet, conservatives screamed bloody murder at the kinds of assistance provided to individuals who were dumb enough to build their homes below sea level in New Orleans.
And yet our money has gone to those dumb individuals. Isn’t it human nature to then be upset that local people in need cannot get the same help?
I agree with you though, basements are a high risk. I also wonder if there’s any negligence by the city / county / state for allowing this problem (sewer backups) to fester for so long.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 12, 2010 at 1050 hrs
This wouldn’t even be a consideration if the Liberals hadn’t lied about the “Deep Tunnel’s” ability to prevent flooding, and had used the money and wasted time to separate the sewers. Now they want the Fed to pony up the money to do just that, and at three x the cost it would have cost originally no less.
Paying high wages to get the “best of the best” sure doesn’t seem to work for Milwaukee.Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 12, 2010 at 1105 hrs
I’d say that people have a claim if the water came out of the mandatory drains that are required to be connected to the sewer.
If the flooding came from a broken sump pump or clogged drain tile, it’s on the owner. If the flooding was due to the chronically negligent management of MMSD, then I would think government bears a responsibility to cover the damage they caused.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 12, 2010 at 1756 hrs
Good thing we’ll get an expensive new train and have saved the jobs of thousands of teachers!
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 13, 2010 at 2003 hrs
If so , government must do more thing to help the poor people.
Posted by christian louboutin on August 14, 2010 at 0245 hrs
I talked with my insurance guy about flood insurance this is what he told me in regards to commercial property. FICA demands that the mortgage holder carry flood insurance if located in a flood plain so if your structure becomes damaged you just dont walk away from everything.Owner is forced to pay about $5000 a year for this mandated coverage over and above his other building insurance.
Any insurance agency will sell you this coverage as they purchase it from FEMA He has a customer right now because of the floods that has extensive damage about $300,000 in the basement level. The FEMA insurance will only cover the bottom 3 feet of drywall and paint nothing else, no furnishings , no flooring, nothing. He will get a check for about $8000 the remaining costs are his.
Here we have one government agency mandating, forcing you to purchase the product of another government agency , and the end product is almost worthless.
If there is no communication within these government agencies to resolve a issue like this, just imagine whats in store for us once health care kicks in.Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 14, 2010 at 0804 hrs
Alas, an issue that Owen and Tom Barrett can agree on!
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 14, 2010 at 1028 hrs
We should do something to help them. Otherwise, they maybe die.
Posted by christian louboutin on August 17, 2010 at 0219 hrs
Every top Democrat in the state was on hand when President Obama was here for the Tom Barrett’s fund raiser, and none of them could convince him that Milwaukee needs FEMA money to help flood victims. Illinois got money, why not Wisconsin?
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 20, 2010 at 0913 hrs
Frank:
Every top Democrat in the state was on hand when President Obama was here for the Tom Barrett’s fund raiser, and none of them could convince him that Milwaukee needs FEMA money to help flood victims. Illinois got money, why not Wisconsin?
Because we’re not Illinois. Our politicians are namby pamby wusses who regularly allow the Fed to treat us with no regard.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 20, 2010 at 1034 hrs
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