THOUSANDS IN GEORGIA MISS FEMA DEADLINE
ATLANTA (AP) - Thousands of hurricane evacuees in Georgia will have to start paying their own hotel bills or leave after missing a deadline to register for additional federal funds.
Evacuees in nearly 2,000 hotel rooms missed a midnight Monday deadline to register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. They will have to start paying next Tuesday, officials said.
Advocates for the poor worry that the deadline could put hurricane evacuees out on the streets.
Fred Beck, an official with the Georgia Hotel & Lodging Association, said each property owner or manager will have to decide whether to offer evacuees a discount or free lodging or whether to issue a written notice to convince evacuees to leave.
Susie Webb, a FEMA spokeswoman, said evacuees who did not register probably have made other housing arrangements, such as staying with family or staying in an apartment.
"There may be all different kinds of circumstances," Webb said.
FEMA has changed the deadline for ending payments for hotel rooms several times, but officials say Monday's cutoff for evacuees to register for help will stand.
The agency has approved extended payments to 1,580 Georgia applicants in hotel rooms and rejected only 25, Webb said. Applicants can be a single person or family.
Nationwide, FEMA approved ongoing hotel payments for 19,117 applicants, Webb said. That represents 73% of those nationwide who called FEMA's toll-free number seeking an extension, she said.
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
