In response to concerns raised by the Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition and constituents impacted by Hurricane Harvey, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) issued a letter to FEMA Administrator Brock Long on May 23 to urge the agency to improve its application process and communications channels with disaster survivors.
In the letter, Cruz warned that FEMA’s denial letters can cause confusion and uncertainty among survivors, often prematurely denying families disaster aid and deterring them from seeking assistance. This is because survivors often receive “denial” letters, even if their applications are merely incomplete, and assume that they are not entitled to disaster resources.
Cruz advised FEMA to provide greater clarity on denial letters, to notify applicants and provide them with an opportunity to correct any deficiencies in their application, and to create written guidance.
Read Senator Cruz’s letter here: https://bit.ly/2s5PegK