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FEMA Offers Hotel Rooms, But No Room Service, To Sandy Victims

November 6, 2012 at 9:04 AM | by | Comments (0)

As was the case in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, disaster victims in New York and New Jersey are now being promised temporary government-paid hotel stays, if their housing situation (or lack thereof) warrants it. Though, don't go thinking these folks are headed for The Plaza or anything. At this point, all they care about is a dry, warm bed and a toilet that flushes.

Here's how it works: FEMA agrees to foot the bill for pre-arranged hotel stays that have been assigned to victims by a third party contractor (whose name is Corporate Lodging Consultants, in case you were wondering). The cost of the rooms is set at a fixed rate--the same rate paid for all federal employees who stay in hotels while on business.

The trouble is, even with that cushy government discount, rooms in NYC are still kinda pricey. Like $295/night pricey.

Which is why FEMA is now stipulating that, while eligible victims will indeed receive hotel rooms, the government won't pick up any room service or telephone charges.

Per the article on Reuters, there are currently 34,000 people have been displaced by the storm. Which is a good deal less than the victims of hurricane Katrina, but a tragedy nonetheless.

Reuters explains:

"Disaster survivors may be eligible to stay in hotel or motel lodging "for a limited period of time" and have the cost of the room and taxes covered by FEMA. Food and charges for telephones, room service and other amenities are not covered."

If you're wondering why there's a photo above of Louis CK with his hair in a side part, it's because we were reminded of a skit we saw this weekend on Saturday Night Live. In it, Bobby Moynihan attempts to check out of his hotel, only to be bombarded with a neverending list of additional charges added onto his bill at the last minute.

At one point, the Front Desk clerk (played by Louis CK) even lists a $119,000 entertainment center charge. We had to chuckle. Though that number is absurdly high, we're no strangers to pesky fees jacking up our hotel bill when we least expect it!

To watch the video, click here.

[Photo: NBC]

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