From: Activist Post
Daniel Jackson
A strict federal law has helped FEMA deny Hurricane Sandy aid to an elderly Korean War veteran suffering from dementia.
As the Hurricane ravaged through his Staten Island neighborhood, Vito Colucci Sr. was safe in his son’s New Jersey home, having been staying there for a time due to his deteriorating health problems.
Apparently, telling FEMA the truth was where the family’s problems began:
Vito Colucci Sr., a Staten Island resident who served in the Korean War, was living with his son’s family in New Jersey when Hurricane Sandy hit at the end of October. Colucci was diagnosed with dementia two years ago and submitted an application to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) three days after the storm ravaged his Staten Island home, according to the New York Daily News.
Colucci owns the damaged home, but FEMA rejected his application because Colucci had taken residence with his son.
“They said because my father didn’t live there, owner or not, it doesn’t matter. It’s a second home so he doesn’t qualify for aid,” Colucci Jr. said, adding that his father frequently has trouble remembering the names of people he has known for decades. “I said, ‘The guy is sick. He hasn’t got a second home.’ It’s not like you’re talking to somebody that has a ton of money.”
Colucci Jr., a veteran himself, of the Vietnam War, told the Daily News that while neighbors were receiving large checks, his family could only complete basic clean-up of his father’s home. He said one FEMA worker questioned why Colucci admitted his father was staying with him in the first place.
“I was trying to tell the truth, and look what happened,” he went on. “I’m a loyal American and when they needed me to step up, I joined the service. Now we’re penalized for not playing the game.” MORE
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