Florida Papers Post Searchable Database on FEMA Aid

By: E&P Staff After months of legal wrangling, Gannett newspapers and television stations in Florida have launched a searchable database of more than 2 million files about FEMA's response to the 2004 Florida hurricanes.

The News-Press in Fort Myers, Florida Today in Brevard County, and the Pensacola News Journal filed a lawsuit in 2005 asking for information about public and individual assistance distributed by FEMA. The information became public record on June 22, 2007, when the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that release was essential for the public to evaluate FEMA's responsiveness. The News-Press received the record on Monday.

The database covers the four hurricanes that struck Florida in 2004: Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne. It includes addresses of applicants, but not names; how much financial aid was requested; and how much was paid out. Readers can evaluate payments made to people in their neighborhood, city, or county.

This searchable database is available at several sites:

www.news-press.com/fema
www.pensacolanewsjournal.com
www.floridatoday.com
www.tallahassee.com
www.firstcoastnews.com (Web site of Jacksonville television station WJXX)
www.tampabays10.com (Web site of Tampa television station WTSP)

Additional postings answer questions about FEMA aid; solicit help in uncovering problems; and request ideas for additional coverage.

Readers who believe they've found mistakes in the data can e-mail the News-Press at fema@news-press.com, or call The News-Press at 239.335.0350. They can also contact FEMA at 1-800-621-3362.

The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling said: "In light of FEMA's awesome statutory responsibility to prepare the nation for, and respond to, all national incidents, including natural disasters and terrorist attacks, there is a powerful public interest in learning whether, and how well, it has met this responsibility. Plainly, disclosure of the addresses will help the public answer this question by shedding light on whether FEMA has been a good steward of billions of taxpayer dollars in the wake of several natural disasters across the country, and we cannot find any privacy interests here that even begin to outweigh this public interest."