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FEMA can keep names of aid recipients secret
Associated Press
Published November 5, 2005
FORT MYERS - The Federal Emergency Management Agency does not have to give newspapers the names of people who received FEMA aid after the four hurricanes that struck Florida in 2004, a federal judge ruled Friday.
The decision came in a lawsuit filed by the News-Press of Fort Myers, the Pensacola News Journal and Florida Today, all owned by Gannett Inc., after FEMA refused to disclose who received assistance and how much each person got.
The newspapers argued they needed the information to examine alleged inequities and fraud in the distribution of more than $1.5-billion in aid. At least 26 people have been charged with filing false claims with FEMA in South Florida.
U.S. District Judge John E. Steele agreed with government lawyers who contended FEMA needed to protect the privacy of disaster victims to comply with the federal Privacy Act of 1974.
[Last modified November 5, 2005, 01:22:18]
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