Thousands of Hurricane Evacuees In Georgia Missed FEMA Deadline

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Thousands of hurricane evacuees around the state will have to start paying their own hotel bills next Tuesday after missing a deadline to register for additional federal funds.

Evacuees in nearly 2,000 hotel rooms missed a midnight Monday deadline to register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Advocates for the poor worry that the deadline could put hurricane evacuees out on the streets. But hotel managers said Tuesday they do not know what they will do if evacuees can’t pay for the rooms but refuse to leave.

Fred Beck, an official with the Georgia Hotel & Lodging Association, said each property owner or manager will have to decide whether to offer evacuees a discount or free lodging or whether to issue a written notice to convince evacuees to leave. Most people will vacate a room when asked, Beck said.

Christine McManus, spokeswoman for the United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta, said the agency will urge its offices to work with their local governments and other groups to develop a contingency plan.

“We’re just moving forward as optimistically as we can,” McManus said.

But FEMA officials do not believe large numbers of evacuees will suddenly become homeless on Feb. 7, FEMA spokeswoman Susie Webb said. She said many evacuees who did not register have probably made other housing arrangements.

“There may be all different kinds of circumstances,” Webb said.
Some may have stayed in hotels as long as possible to save money. Some may have family they can live with once the free hotel is no longer an option. And some may have lined up apartments, Webb said.

FEMA has changed the deadline for ending payments for hotel rooms several times, but officials say Monday’s cutoff for evacuees to register for ongoing help will stand.

FEMA officials approved extended payments for hotel rooms for 1,580 applicants in Georgia as of Monday night and rejected only 25 applicants, Webb said. Each applicant could represent a single person or a family.

Nationwide, FEMA approved ongoing hotel payments for 19,117 applicants, Webb said. That represents 73 percent of those nationwide who called FEMA’s toll-free number seeking an extension, she said.