FEMA to Halt Debit Cards, Use Bank Deposit

Yahoo! News reported The federal government's relief agency said Friday it will discontinue its program to distribute $2,000 debit cards to hurricane victims and use bank deposits instead, two days after hastily announcing the novel plan to provide quick relief.

I am sure that some of the Angry Left will criticize FEMA for not continuing with this plan, but they would also be the first to complain that FEMA had no way of explaining what it did with all of the money when the program was later audited. FEMA has several tasks

• Training state and local responders, which it did (the fact that they did not remember what they were taught is not FEMA's fault
• Providing supplies, either to national guard called up by the Governor, or to federalized military sent by the President, and
• providing funds for rebuilding to people that justify their entitlement to the funds

I don't criticize Red Cross for their distribution of debit cards; they know what sort of documentation people will expect from them when they ask for future donations, but they are not spending taxpayer money.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency said it will scrap the program once officials finish distributing cards this weekend at shelters in Dallas, Houston and San Antonio, where many of the evacuees were moved. No cards will be issued to victims in other states. Hurricane victims at other locations will have to apply for expedited aid through the agency's traditional route — filling out information on FEMA's Web site to receive direct bank deposits, FEMA spokeswoman Natalie Rule said.