FEMA handing out checks ahead of storm

With the chaos in Louisiana keeping FEMA employees busy, local officials are looking to learn from the mistakes of their colleagues.

Reports of the emergence of Tropical Storm Hannah have officials scrambling to prepare, with a primary focus on their checkbooks.

Area emergency management coordinator Thomas Jordan said the agency is opening its doors to the community and sending agents out into the field.

“One of the biggest problems in Louisiana right now is the lack of power,” Jordan said. “They’re doing a good job of getting food and water to people, but when the power is down, they can’t pay the victims' hotel bills and expenses fast enough with the tax dollars at their disposal.

“Right now, that’s the greatest crisis we’re facing.”

When asked why Americans don’t seem to be responsible for looking out for their own safety or well-being anymore, Jordan said it’s not his call.

"What can I say? It's an election year," Jordan said. “A mandate has come down from Congress that nobody is to be harmed, nobody is to be uncomfortable, and nobody is to be inconvenienced by the storms.”

“Nobody seems to care how much we’re spending anyways, so we might as well take care of the people.”

On a sunny Wednesday afternoon, employees and volunteers with the Georgia Emergency Management Agency went door to door with cases of bottled water, food, and bundles of cash designed to get area residents through the storms.

“We have to reach as many people as possible before the weather gets really bad,” volunteer Jason Ericson yelled into a light breeze. “Things aren’t too bad now, but we’re getting ready for when it gets really tough.”

Evans resident Janice Murphy said the outlook is rather grim.

“We’re trying to prepare for the worst, and the government is handing out bottles of Deer Park water,” Murphy said. “I’m a Fiji water drinker, so I don’t think it can get much worse.

“If I can’t get my Fiji, I don’t think I want to live through the storm.”

FEMA officials are expected to return after the storms to issue checks for lost wages, therapy bills and pain and suffering associated with the weather.

Note: None of this is true. But it is frustrating that the federal government feels responsible for paying everyone's hotel bills and expenses associated with dealing with evacuation. I miss the time when people were responsible for their own safety.