A new Department of Homeland Security inspector general
report faults the overpayment and administration of
disaster relief funds to Miami’s Dade County following
last year’s hurricane season.
The report found shortcomings in program controls over the
process of declaring a disaster, assessing damages and
losses, determining the need for a major declaration, and
the verification of reported damage and losses.
The $31.2 million in awards to the Florida county paid
through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s
Individuals and Households Program has been the subject
of scrutiny from public officials and news media because
FEMA declared eligibility for Miami-Dade “without a proper
preliminary damage assessment,” according to the audit.
It said FEMA provided funds for repairs and replacements
not related to Hurricane Frances, accepted undocumented
damage and loss claims, and granted rent assistance to
applicants that may not have needed it.
The IG found contractors were not required to review
inspections before submitting them and there were no
provisions for inspectors to recuse themselves when
confronted with a possible conflict of interest.
“The policies, procedures, and guidelines used in
Miami-Dade County for the IHP were also used throughout
the state of Florida, casting doubt about the
appropriateness of IHP awards made to individuals and
households in other counties of the state as a result of
the four hurricanes, particularly those counties that
had only marginal damage,” the report said, adding the
same procedures were used for disasters in other states.
