WASHINGTON, Jan. 10 (UPI) -- The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency has extended hotel stays for Hurricane Katrina evacuees, as it isn't sure who is receiving what aid.
For the fourth time, the agency extended its deadline for victims living in some 25,000 hotel rooms around the country. This time, the extension was in response to a class-action lawsuit that charges that FEMA is unfairly denying help to victims of the Aug. 29 storm that hit the Gulf Coast.
Acting FEMA chief David Paulison said families in hotel rooms must call FEMA to register and receive a special authorization code, and may stay until Feb. 13 if they do.
FEMA spokesman Butch Kinerney told The Washington Post that data on 3.1 million registered Gulf Coast victims is spotty.
"We didn't have a strong idea of who in hotels had actually applied for aid, actually received aid and been denied aid, and that's certainly something we needed to get a handle on," he said.
As of Sunday, the agency was paying for 25,697 rooms at more than 3,000 hotels and motels, most in Louisiana and Texas, at a cost of about $1.8 million per day.
