Numbers and data rarely make for good stories but, in this case, the numbers are the story.
In this case, 6 Investigates used federal Freedom of Information laws to get information the agency does not normally release.
Namely, that of 72,000 applications for individual and household assistance received from Aransas, Nueces and San Patricio counties in the first month after Harvey made landfall, FEMA ruled 31,000 of them, were ineligible. That’s a 43% rejection rate.
Of the 31,000, more than 19,000 were ruled ineligible due to "insufficient damage."
If you’re wondering what "insufficient damage" means, so are we. Here’s the report:
