How I Spent My Relief Dollars

Michelle Malkin has a post called Your Relief Dollars at Work. It has a post about three evacuees who were using their FEMA and Red Cross money to support their drug habit. Stories like these cast a bad light on all who have received Red Cross Relief money, FEMA money or both. I thought I would share with you what I used the Red Cross Relief money I received and show you some of the faces of Mississippians who were waiting in line with me for 7 1/2 hours in 90 degree heat for $330.00 per household member.

I used the Red Cross Relief money to help pay two house notes. After Hurricane Katrina struck, I had absolutely no income coming in because my place of work had been destroyed. Unemployment compensation(thankfully, I am off now!!) will not meet anything but basic needs and in no way can be stretched to make a house note. My mortgage company was nice enough to delay the payments due for 60 days without any extra interest or penalties but I had to make two payments.

I had to throw out around $200.00 dollars in groceries that was in my refrigerator because I was without power for 12 days. There are so many here in Mississippi that are using the relief from FEMA and the Red Cross to help them survive. There are so many that have lost their homes and jobs that this money has been a godsend. There are families in D'Iberville, Biloxi, and all up and down the Mississippi Coast that are sleeping in tents on the slabs where their houses once stood.

This is the other side of how your generous donations to the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, and the other places Americans made their donations are being used by people who have literally lost everything. FEMA money and the other relief money is being used to replace beds, furniture, towels, clothing, food, cars, and all manner of things that were lost either due to the utter destruction of a home, the water damage to homes that were gutted by the storm surge, or water damage after roofs were torn off and rain came pouring in.

Please don't let tales such as those drug abusers besmirch the wonderful generosity you have shown to people who are digging out from mountains of rubble. And don't let it besmirch the people like me and the so many others who lost everything and are using this as means to rebuild their lives.

Cars of people waiting to get in a Red Cross Financial Assistance Center




This woman is raising her granddaughter while her daughter is in college.








This group had lost their homes and jobs.

The following are just a small sample of the 65,000 homes in Mississippi that were destroyed or the 38,000 heavily damaged. Most have been torn down now and the debris hauled away.

Central Ave D'Iberville




St. Charles Ave, D'Iberville







Biloxi's Point Cadet

Yes, there are people who are abusing the relief money but the overwhelming majority are using it to just survive.

Linked with this post: Independent ConservativeAnd That's Not all They Bought With Red Cross and FEMA Money!