By now, most of you have probably seen footage of the tornado damage in Florida. At this time, there are 19 confirmed deaths. Tragically, FEMA just poured salt into the wounds of the victims.
The disaster came on the heels of a decision by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) officials to deny federal aid to victims of tornadoes on Christmas Day in 2006, RAW STORY has learned. Federal authorities have not yet declared the current situation a federal disaster zone, although a congressman claims that "the White House has already pledged to do everything they can to help."
Areas in the same counties afflicted by last night's tornadoes were slammed by storms on Christmas Day. For instance, in Volusia County, 300 homes were damaged, and 140 sustained serious damage according to the Orlando Sentinel. An editorial in today's Orlando Sentinel noted that many of those destroyed structures were mobile homes. Additionally, in Pasco County, 105 homes were damaged, reported TBO.com.
According to a report at WESH-2 in Florida, "Despite being asked by his brother former Gov. Jeb Bush to do that after the storms, President George W. Bush declined." Apparently FEMA found that while many homes met the damage conditions for federal aid, the threshold of financial loss for the Christmas Day tornadoes was not reached.
