The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "FEMA: disaster relief" ...
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Hung Out to Dry
FEMA is currently in the “final stages of revisiting all of the flood maps throughout the country”. The investigation revealed major problems in the mapping and these mistakes could be costly to the residents in these areas. These residents living in the “flood zones” must pay flood insurance or risk losing their homes. Many of the residents believe they should be excluded from the flood area and come together to prove FEMA wrong.
Tags: Federal Emergency Management Agency; South Central Los Angeles; Oxford; Southern California; disaster; relief; help; flood base level
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In the Danger Zone
"This series revealed how seriously inaccurate federal flood maps for coastal Alabama have contributed to hurricane flood losses, encouraged unsafe construction, and influenced people to forego flood insurance." FEMA’s flood maps drastically underestimate the reality of coastal flooding in large areas of Alabama; the author used GIS to show that floods in the area are six to nine times more frequent than federal predictions.
Tags: environment; hurricane; GIS; FEMA: disaster relief; insurance; mapping
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Katrina Crime: Perceived or Real?
These stories showed that many months of steep declines in major violent crime in San Antonio ended within weeks of the arrival of Katrina evacuees and began a steady double digit climb in homicide, aggravated robbery and a variety of other violent crime categories. The stories pointed out that, while it was impossible to conclusively link crime to evacuees, this correlation was almost identical to that which was successfully cited by Houston in funding requests to FEMA and other agencies. The series identified crime hotspots in and around a number of resettlement areas and portrayed the feelings experiences of evacuees, native neighbors and business owners in these areas.
Tags: Hurricane Katrina; evacuees; natural disaster; relief aid; FEMA; crime; crime data; mapping; homicide reports; computer-assisted reporting
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Hurricane Katrina Reporting Package
This package of investigative stories shows why so many things went wrong during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Time staff reported on FEMA Director Mike Brown, and how his general incompetence hurt relief efforts. The package also includes a look at New Orleans three months after the disaster to see how it recovery efforts were working.
Tags: New Orleans; hurricane; FEMA; disaster relief; weather; natural disasters; government
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FEMA: A Legacy of Waste
Hurricane Katrina is only the latest episode in a history of bungling and fraud associated with FEMA. The Sun-Sentinel spent nearly a year studying FEMA's work in Miami-Dade County and discovered fraud and waste in the aftermath of Hurricane Frances. They found at least $330 million of FEMA money poured into communities that suffered no damage, as well as FEMA inspectors with criminal records, FEMA funds used for twice as many funerals as official deaths, and many other instances of fraud and waste.
Tags: FEMA; federal funds; federal government; disaster aid; Hurricane Frances; Homeland Security; fraud; hurricanes; disaster relief
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FEMA's Inspectors Included Criminals
In a continuing investigation of misapplied FEMA funds following the 2004 hurricanes that hit Florida, the Sun-Sentinel found nearly 25 percent of government damage inspectors had criminal records for "embezzlement, drug dealing and robbery," among other crimes. These inspectors were the government's defense against accusations of fraud when Miami-Dade received $31 million in relief even though hurricane-force winds did not strike the county.
Tags: FEMA; hurricane relief; Miami-Dade; disaster aid; fraud
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Cashing in on Disaster
This investigation started with the observation that many more Floridians were receiving disaster relief funds than were actually affected by the 2004 storms. The story went on to reveal that some relatively unaffected parts of Florida received even more aid than areas that took a direct hit. Residents of Miami-Dade County got more than $21 million, though the actual damage done there was equivalent to a bad thunderstorm. Reporters found that FEMA inspectors often received inadequate training. Results from the story include a state legislative investigation into the hurricane payments and even involvement from the federal Department of Homeland Security.
Tags: FOIA; hurricane; Federal Emergency Management Agency; FEMA; fraud; disaster relief; inspector; homeland security
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Exclusive Beach Towns Rely on Government Dollars to Rebuild
The ever-expanding definition of federal emergencies and the legacy of risky building along the coast have made disasters into a growing industry. Beach towns and resorts benefit from disasters by using tax-payer relief funds as a form of insurance for their municipal property. These resorts and towns carry very little insurance themselves, because they know that they can rely on federal funds to cover storm damage. The average number of federal disasters has tripled since the 1950s; since then, federal agencies have spent $140 billion. Factors such as loose criteria, lax financial standards and golf course subsidies add to the expense.
Tags: FEMA; hurricane; tropical storm; natural disaster; victim-relief; Federal Emergency Management Agency