Gulf Coast Bank and Trust president Guy Williams was critical of the federal response to Hurricane Ida during his weekly appearance on Newell Normand’s WWL Radio show, saying FEMA was handing out the federal equivalent of “pennies” and had failed to provide accurate support to those in need.
“I think the thing that is most disconcerting to me is the failure to staff up,” Williams said. “Staffing a call-center is not that difficult.
The call-center could be anywhere in America. And to make people that are really struggling with cell phone batteries wait hours on the phone, and then not providing immediate cash assistance, inaccurate information on which hotels will accept benefits.”
Williams went on to elaborate on the lack of no-strings-attached aid available for people looking to put their lives back together after Ida’s devastation.
“We have some loan options, but we don’t have much in the way of direct grant obligations or immediate cash flowing,” Williams said. “So far, FEMA for the whole U.S., from New York down to New Orleans, has only put out $174 million. And for the feds, that’s like nickels and pennies in your pocket.”
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