Central EP Homeowners Clean, Wait For Assistance From Gov’t.
EL PASO, TX. – Residents on theneighborhood near the “Spaghetti Bowl” on I-10 were back out in the hot sun Wednesday cleaning up their houses and taking memories to the trash.
The homeowners in this area tell ABC-7 they don’t know how they’ll rebuild without federal help. One family adds that their insurance won’t pay, and all they have left to sleep on are beds a local church gave to them.
That same family tells ABC-7 they’ve started the clean-up of their damaged home, but mold and mildew have already started to grow inside.Those same families and residents aregetting impatient,wanting federal help.
According to officials, for the federal assistance to begin, President Bush will have to declare the El Paso area a federal disaster area. The city had thought it was close to reaching the required damage amount, but federal officials say it’s just not that simple.
FEMA Official David Passeytells ABC-7, “There is no published number that a state has to get to. It’s not that there is a hard and fast rule that you have to have ‘x’ of any one category to get a federal declaration — it’s just a way for everyone to get a better picture of how people were affected.
Mr. Passeysays FEMA’s assessments are only preliminary and they’ll helpFEMA respond if there’s a declaration. Headds thathe can’t commit to any specific timeline for how long it might take.
Finally, Mr. Passey says its solely up to the President to decide whether or not the El Paso area should get that declaration and any federal help that might come with it.
