Hurricane Rita news stories on Newser

FEMA Looks to Claw Back Money From Katrina Victims

Kevin Spak — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 13:11:22 CDT

FEMA gave out hundreds of millions in aid during the hurricane season of 2005—and it wants its money back. The agency is currently reviewing $600 million given to 154,000 victims of hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma, in the belief that it may have mistakenly overpaid many of them,...

Lost Coffins Remain Part of Katrina's Legacy

Rob Quinn — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 11:32:41 CDT

Louisiana is still finding coffins displaced by Hurricane Katrina three years on, the Wall Street Journal reports. Katrina and Rita moved 1,500 bodies from their resting places in the state's swampy south, where floating coffins during floods have long been part of local folklore. Hundreds remain unidentified, and they...

FEMA to Move Families, Citing Toxins in Trailers

John Johnson — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 20:00:20 CST

FEMA will move thousands of survivors of hurricanes Katrina and Rita out of their government-supplied trailers because of possibly dangerous levels of formaldehyde, the Times-Picayune reports. Those at greatest risk, including those with current health problems, will be moved into apartments and hotels in the next two weeks, with the...

Katrina Victims' Claims Number in the Trillions

Kevin Spak — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 17:14:21 CST

New Orleans residents have peppered the Army Corps of Engineers with claims for trillions in damages, USA Today reports, asking for sums higher than the nation’s entire economic output. One claim alone seeks $3 quadrillion . In all, the corps has received more than 489,000 claims, with more still coming....

Humberto's Lightning Birth Stuns Experts

Colleen Barry — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 05:57:34 CDT

An unremarkable tropical depression headed for Texas stunned forecasters when it jumped speed overnight to become a hurricane faster than any other storm in more than a century. Hurricane Humberto slammed Beaumont and Port Arthur, still recovering from Rita, killing at least one person, knocking out power to 100,000...