When that tornado ripped through Alabama in late April, it turned Jonathan Stewart's house into a pile of rubble.
Soon afterward, an inspector from the Federal Emergency Management Agency came to the house--or what remained of it, anyway--in Pleasant Grove, near Birmingham, where Stewart, his wife Lisa, and their two kids live. The inspector took pictures and notes, as part of a process to allow the Stewarts to get help from the disaster relief agency.
But a few days later, Stewart received a letter from FEMA. "Based on your FEMA inspection, we have determined that the disaster has not caused your home to be unsafe to live in," the letter said. It informed Stewart that he didn't qualify for a FEMA grant--in part because
his home had suffered "insufficient damage."
"Lisa and I looked at the letter and laughed," Stewart told the Birmingham News.
The Stewarts weren't alone. The home of Lashunta Tabb, who lives in a town nearby, had half its roof blown off and three damaged walls, and its siding stripped off. She said it's uninhabitable. But FEMA also turned her claim down, citing the same reason: insufficient damage.
"Although the disaster may have caused some minor damage, it is reasonable to expect you or your landlord to make these repairs," the letters received by both Tabb and the Stewarts said. "At this time you are not eligible for FEMA housing assistance."
