More than two weeks after Superstorm Sandy hit the Eastern seaboard, causing widespread flooding and wind damage, thousands of residents are still unable to return to their homes. A lack of temporary housing in the area is only making the situation worse, and some storm survivors are blaming mismanagement by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
According to WABC, FEMA has approved thousands of people for rental assistance. However, the supply of available apartments does not come close to matching the demand..
FEMA's slow housing response to Superstorm Sandy was reportedly forewarned in a Congressional investigation following Hurricane Katrina in 2005. In a report from the Government Accountability Office, FEMA was cited for lacking ''clear guidance on specific temporary housing options" and warned that without those guidelines, future "disaster victims (would be) at risk of not receiving temporary housing as quickly as possible."
FEMA said that Sandy relief efforts are a great challenge, but it is doing more to increase its work force in devastated areas, NY1 reported.
"With New Yorkers, fortunately there haven't been a lot of disasters like this, so it's a new experience for them. We're sensitive to that," Michael Bryne, a federal coordinating officer for FEMA, said.
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