Making Progress Here

I managed to get in a couple of inspections today and get back to the field office to have them checked over for mistakes. FEMA does not like mistakes and will kick them back and charge you for it! There is an error checking function built in to the program and the PaRR QC people do a great job at helping you get it sorted out. I wish there were more checkers though, it still took a two hour wait for me and I got in fairly early. My room mate got in at about 5 PM and he had to wait almost four hours. The good news is that I did well on my two "test"inspections and was released to continue on my own. I managed to get 6 scheduled for tomorow. I need to stop and wash some clothes or I will be inspecting in my underware soon so I'm taking a few hours off.

Many of the inspections I'm doing are in an area that did not get any damage and the claims are only for reimbursement of travel and lodging expenses incurred due to the mandatory evacuation.

Some of the applicants are trying to "game" the system based on what happened after Katrina.
FEMA was so late to the party and playing catch up that they were throwing money at anyone that applied. They were giving out $2000 checks to anyone that applied, without doing an inspection so there are those that are applying and waiting for FEMA to deliver "their check" in spite of the fact that they had zero damages. It's in their blood I guess after living for generations on the dole. I have not met any of these people yet. All the applicants that I have dealt with have been straight up about any damages or lack of damage.

Good news on the lodging front, the hotel we are at dropped the rates to $59.00 a night now and credited back my account retroactively. Way cool! That rate is a little more confrontable when we are splitting it two ways. It is a big relief to not have to look for a new place and pack and move every night. That was starting to wear on me. It was starting to piss off my wife as well since I had her searching the Net for rooms over and over again only to have the deal she found fall apart or the hotel be closed. I don't blame her. I was geting very pissed too. Almost to the point of saying the hell with it and pulling the plug on the whole thing.

We have plenty of work here still but now that Ike is pushing in toward Texas, they mey break some of us loose and send us that way. Wow! Going full circle. I started this adventure in Texas and could end up right back there again in the next few weeks.

There is a small part of me that is a little disapointed that I will not get to experience a hurricane first hand. ( at least so far, could still happen) I've been in Typhoons in the far east during Vietnam, once while on a ship. Hoooo boy, that was a hell of a ride! Surfing 25 foot high waves, one after another for hours on end. I think I prefer a land lubber's vantage point.

After midnight here in the Big Easy, time to hit the hay.

Later,
Dana