Katrina Victims to Get $2K Debit Cards

Katrina disaster victims will be issued debit cards good for $2000 to buy essentials and gasoline. This is $2K per adult.
Debit Cards
Alcohol and cigarettes are excluded from the list of authorized products.

One question...

How do they plan to control what the cards are used for?

Originally posted by elderban
One question...

How do they plan to control what the cards are used for?

Welfare debit cards already can select what can be paid for and what cannot. This is done.

This is a good idea.

I donno about those restrictions tho...
I know that I personally went through this nightmare, I'd definatly apressiate a drink on the state!

Question:
Are firearms on the ristricted list too?

I would be extremely surprised and disappointed if firearms were not on the no-can-buy list. As for smokes and booze, there are ways to get around that, that game has been played for years.

I smoked for years. I still occasionally crave one. I could forgive someone that bought a pack to keep the edge off.

It's a good idea IF they are not used to 'buy off' the victims. Meaning if that is all they get. The families of the WTC attack were given much more from the government.

Proceedures for getting your card as told to my by a survivor:

1. Call FEMA. Receive message to go to your local Red Cross.

2. Arrive a local Red Cross. Receive phone number to call for assistance.

3. Call number. Get busy signal, hang up.

4. Hit redial, get busy signal, hang up.

5. Repeat #4 until you give up.

Yea right. On CNN they were interviewing 2 families who asked for the cards...the answer: Call us back in 15 to 20 days to one family, to the other family they said we will get in touch with you...right.



Where do they send them?
I am sure you have to "qualify"
Its not just a case of them being passed out and promptly made valid with the $2 grand.
Its just like them to lead people to beleive they're on their way immediately.
Ha! Sure, dont look a gifthorse in the mouth...but at least tell them the truth about the time it will take to make this promise good.

[edit on 8-9-2005 by dgtempe]

im wondering how many people get the money because if its a family than what about a family of say 10 and they get the same amount of money as one person and also only 2000 that could barely pay for anything now days i say more money we have enough to spend on the war on terror and companies are giving more than these cash cards

Does anyone else feel like this is a way for the government to keep track of all the "refugees"?

"We'll give you $2000, we'll just need your first and last name and your social security number."

Just a thought.

I honestly do not understand how it is the government's responsibility to give these people cash. It seems to me that these people are gonna come out of this tragedy better off than they were before. The government is giving them money, rebuilding their homes for free, giving them tax relief, paying for their school supplies, buying them clothes. I saw on Foxnews that 80% of the people that went to the Astrodome did not have jobs before the hurricane hit and that over 30% of the people in New Orleans were on welfare. Now our government is doing all of this for people that have refused to help themselves for so long and insist on using crutches like "We're black and the government hates us". Idiots like Kanye west just fueling the fire to get these people more help than they deserve. I mean good grief, in the midst of tragedy all these people can think about seems to be looting, raping, murdering, and firing on the military, but lets pay their way through life.

Originally posted by deesw
I honestly do not understand how it is the government's responsibility to give these people cash. It seems to me that these people are gonna come out of this tragedy better off than they were before. The government is giving them money, rebuilding their homes for free, giving them tax relief, paying for their school supplies, buying them clothes. I saw on Foxnews that 80% of the people that went to the Astrodome did not have jobs before the hurricane hit and that over 30% of the people in New Orleans were on welfare. Now our government is doing all of this for people that have refused to help themselves for so long and insist on using crutches like "We're black and the government hates us". Idiots like Kanye west just fueling the fire to get these people more help than they deserve. I mean good grief, in the midst of tragedy all these people can think about seems to be looting, raping, murdering, and firing on the military, but lets pay their way through life.

Yes...blame hip hop...

Well apparently FEMA has had a change of heart about dolling out the 2K debit cards . . .

But there were still signs of confusion and uncertainty over government plans. FEMA's director, Michael D. Brown, had said his agency would begin issuing debit cards, worth at least $2,000 each, to allow hurricane victims to buy supplies for immediate needs. More than 319,000 people have already applied for federal disaster relief, and many evacuees began lining up at the Astrodome, in Houston, early today in hope of getting cards.

"The concept is to get them some cash in hand," Mr. Brown had said, "which allows them, empowers them, to make their own decisions about what they need to have to restart their lives."

But this afternoon, FEMA announced that it no longer planned to issue the cards. An agency spokesman, David G. Passey, said that he did not know why the program was scrapped but that now "we believe that our normal methods of delivery - checks and electronic funds transfer - will suffice."

LINK

Damn if it doesn't seem to be the good ole' proverbial "bait and switch" routine.

Anybody wanna play the shell game.... or how 'bout some three-card monty?!

Watch closely now . . . now you see it, now you don't!?

Look, again, at the quote...
The agency spokesperson doesn't seem to know why the program was scrapped, but is then quoted as saying,"we believe that our normal methods of delivery - checks and electronic funds transfer - will suffice."

?uhhmmm . . . okaaay?

[edit on 9-9-2005 by 12m8keall2c]

nbcsandiego.com: The amount of money placed on the card, between $360 and $1,600, is determined by how many people are in the family and their ages. The card is activated within 24 hours of a family receiving it.

Source: NBS San Diego

So then, it seems a person of one will receive $360. Not going far.

I see people with a certain preconceived mindset still yappin' with crap like "all these people can think about seems to be looting, raping, murdering, and firing on the military .......... damn that's sad. Yep, a couple million people devestated - that's all that all of them are thinking about. Any minute they are going to rampage out of the temporary shelters and start pilliging the cities. Get a grip.

Misfit

You never know, they may just start that kind of stuff.

Many of these people have no identification now. How are they going to be able to apply for jobs, etc with no identification? Is the government going to at least get them ids?

I sure wouldnt want to go thru their red tape: "May i see your i.d.?" I dont have one. Well, i'm afraid we cant help you. "Well, Mr. Smith, you will have to apply for a new social security card and then we could help you"
"May I have your address please?"

Poor people.

[edit on 10-9-2005 by dgtempe]

Well, it turns out that many of the debit cards issued aren't working properly. Now FEMA will only release aid via checks or direct deposit.

Houston Chronicle

As if these people don't have enough to contend with.