By Ron Smith
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkms/local-wkms-915646.mp3
Richmond, KY – For the past several years Kentuckians have suffered through devastating floods, destructive tornadoes and paralyzing ice and snow storms. The disasters triggered emergency declarations and requests for help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency or FEMA. As KPR'S Ron Smith reports FEMA has been praised and criticized for its efforts.
For the past several years Kentuckians have suffered through devastating floods, destructive tornadoes and paralyzing ice and snow storms. The disasters triggered emergency declarations and requests for help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency or FEMA.
FEMA came under fire in several western Kentucky counties in 2009 for a slow response to a crushing ice storm. Jaime Green was with emergency operations in Lyon County.
"And I had spoke to the county judge at the time who advised that FEMA was not there yet," said Green.
After reporters noted FEMA's absence, Green says FEMA showed up the next day and from then on the county had no problems with the agency. But Lyon County's initial criticism was echoed by emergency management officials in Hopkins and Grayson counties who said FEMA was slow to respond.
Conversations with county officials and others indicate FEMA's response in Kentucky has improved since the ice storm. But not everyone agrees. Pike County Judge Executive Wayne Rutherford still has harsh words for the agency.
"They don't come in here sometimes to help you, they come in here it seems like with the attitude to keep you from getting anything," said Rutherford.
Rutherford says that's even after an emergency declaration is declared. And there's more.
"I've been at this long enough to know they'll lie to you. They'll come in even after you get one and say go ahead and go to work, go out there and do this. Then when you turn the bill in down the road they don't give you your money. I mean they're hard to deal with, they're an agency without a heart, no doubt about it," said Rutherford.
Fifth district congressman Hal Rogers disagrees, saying FEMA does have heart. Rogers admits to being disappointed by slow FEMA responses, but comes to the agency's defense.
"It's a bureaucracy and you're gonna have some delays and you're gonna have some things they don't do perfectly right, but I think they've got heart," said Rogers.
And Rogers is sympathetic, saying help from FEMA is always in demand. At any given time, it must deal with dozens of emergencies.
FEMA spokesman Michael Skeels says Judge Rutherford's criticisms are not warranted, and attributes the judge's remarks to the emotion of the moment and possibly a misunderstanding of the government process.
"When you're in the heat of the disaster it's really hard to think of how the process actually works right then, when the job is trying to rescue people, get them sheltered and fed and keep them safe and warm and protected," said Skeels.
Knowing how the process works, says Skeels, is the key to getting federal help.
"There are steps and procedures that have to be followed and it's people understanding those. The faster those processes are done, the faster federal assistance becomes available, but they have to go through the steps," says Skeels.
To some officials that translates into burdensome government red tape. Darrell Link, who's President of the Kentucky County Judges Association and County Judge in Grant County, says officials shouldn't criticize FEMA's need for documentation.
"Yes sometimes it's laborious and yes sometimes we look at that and say you know what, there's no common sense involved in asking us to do this, but in this day and time when the federal government is a trillion dollars in debt and the state government seems like is defaulting on some of its bonds, I can understand why there has to be tremendous accountability," said Link.
FEMA critics may also have unrealistic expectations of what the agency can or should do.
"Some people think FEMA is savior to the world," says Grayson County Emergency Management Director Randall Smith, who calls FEMA only one line of defense. City and county emergency responders, the national guard, state agencies and volunteers are all links in the chain.
Since the debacle of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, FEMA has been trying to recover its reputation. Even though some Kentucky officials praise FEMA for its response to the state's latest disasters, it's clear others are yet to be convinced.