Extension

Looks like a judge is forcing FEMA to do its job.

A government program that put Hurricane Katrina evacuees in hotels while they sought other housing must be extended a month beyond the deadline set by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, a federal judge ruled Monday.

Judge Stanwood Duval extended the program until Feb. 7.

The temporary restraining order came from a class action lawsuit filed in November by advocates for hurricane victims. Attorneys pressing the lawsuit said FEMA has failed to provide aid to many who qualify and that information on the aid has been slow to reach those who need it most.

Remember, FEMA announced on November 15 that it planned to stop paying hotel bills on December 1 for families left homeless by the hurricane and, by extension, by the Bush administration's failure to act to prevent the tragedy and its ongoing failure to rebuild the region in a timely manner. (If only the administration were more concerned with rebuilding the region than with making sure the rest of us don't see pictures of what's really going on there).

Of course, according to the agency's tortured logic, it was stopping the payments for the benefit of the homeless families.

"Those affected by these storms should have the opportunity to become self-reliant again and reclaim some normalcy in their lives," (FEMA Acting Director R. David ) Paulison said.

Why do judges hate Hurricane Katrina victims?