Florida asked for federal assistance for thousands of homeowners with property damage caused by defective Chinese drywall but the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which typically deals with hurricanes and other natural disasters, has said no.
The state says there are 2,505 homes that have had their appraisal values downgraded due to damage from tainted drywall and another 86 that have claims pending. Hardest hit is Lee County, with more than 1,100 cases. In addition, state public health officials have identified 530 homes that have been subject to metal corrosion due to the drywall.
In a March 10 letter to FEMA, David Halstead, interim director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, asked FEMA for financial aid for the homeowners. “These homeowners have suffered greatly and have no means by which to repair their home,” Halstead wrote. He said many have been forced to move.
But two days later, FEMA’s regional office wrote back that the situation does not constitute an emergency or disaster that would qualify for federal relief.
Attorney Mike Ryan, a partner at Krupnick Campbell Malone Buser Slama Hancock Liberman & McKee, who represents homeowners, blasted the FEMA response: “FEMA just doesn’t get it. This is not purely a consumer product safety issue. This is a man-made disaster that has wrecked homes and communities. There is simply no prohibition against helping homeowners and communities during a man-made disaster.”
Topics Florida China Homeowners
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