they are like an agent for fema. fema holds the insurance, so, when you have flood insurance you have to put bills in that you and fema know the flood insurance will deny, a lot stuff is not covered under flood insurance so you have to wait in this whole process. i only just now got an advance check, six weeks, from my flood insurance and that is only for machine i already put up for the clean up, for my new surface and all that stuff, now, i have to use that money again. all right? and i have to wait to money again from my flood insurance. which the investigation will not be over for another two months. then, if i need more money, i have to appeal to the small business association, the sba loans or family. i understand there is money from the state, $10,000, a grant for everyone, but i would rather go that route if i only need an extra $10,000, i don't want to go through the red david petraeus and bill you have to go through with fema especially with flood, it is terrible. terrible. terrible. i paid $25,000 in the l

much of her work has been in support of the efforts of fema, which responded extort really quickly and competently and i want to congratulate administrator phuket on the work. also touch another recovery is and by prey responses to other similar disasters. senator coats come you mention we must learn from our experiences and other storms and you're exactly right. finally, all just a special role the president asked me to play with rebuilding every development efforts. significant work done to assist the region is effective coordination among state, federal local authorities. this is included hud, fema bacillus department of homeland security, transportation come energy interior and health and human services plus a small business administration and the army corps of engineers, state and local officials and private businesses and charitable organizations. hud personnel have been on the ground staffing fema disaster recovery centers and doing a variety circulated works such as

>> should fema and get mooe money? >> you hate to say nobody wants them to be efficient with their distribution. neil: -- fema needs to look at their mistakes it is dangerous. they have not learned anything. they should get on top of this get the people housing and tell the house are rebuilt. >> you know, because it is your home. i am not oblivious. >> why does the administration get a pass? >> the story was written a great response maybe it was bereday number six it was terrible. number 10 and number 12 there were closing the office. the narrative losses amid tender of a. this should not be the way to respond in the future. we should learn. you always make mistakes but always looked how we cure those for the future. you wonder how much have they fixed? >> neil: switch gears on the budget impasse talk the fiscal cliff for the brink. many say republicans give away the store. >> if they do, they are with tax hikes but no reduction of spending then they give away the store. >> they have to enforce the promise. neil: that

out to fema. they are a great partner. >> the president could not have appointed a better person. >> the administration, fema you have established when the call goes out the country is there to help their people. the "share t. get a great deal on a new subaru and 250 dollars goes to your choice of five charities. by the end of this, our fifth year, our total can reach almost 25 million dollars. it's a nice reflection on us all. now through january 2nd. get 0% apr financing for 36 months on a 2013 subaru forester and we'll donate 250 dollars to your choice of 5 charities. share "not even close." share "you owe me..." share "just right." the share everything plan. sharable data across 10 devices with unlimited talk and text. get a droid razr m by motorola for $49.99. but we can still help you see your big picture. with the fidelity guided portfolio summary, you choose which accounts to track and use fidelity's analytics to spot trends, gain insights, and figure out what you want to do next. all in o

fema might have to go to congress for more money. mike byrnes is fema's disaster relief coordinator in new york city. byrnes says fema's flood policy is limited in flood zones but his agency is re-examining individual cases including the bediners. >> and you give me their details am we will look into it and we'll find out what's really went on here. >> reporter: the bediners did receive $5,000 from their private home insurer for wind damage, not nearly enough to rebuild. >> reporter: are you angry? >> absolutely. but at the same time, i really don't know what else to do. i mean we turn to the people that we thought would help us. and they haven't done anything. >> reporter: the bediners and their two children will live with family until they figure out what to do. michelle miller, cbs news, staten island. >> jeff: . >> jeff, officials are still trying to figure out how many people died after a highway tunnel collapsed about 50 miles outside tokyo. at least 150 heavy concrete roof panels crashed on to the roadway burying a number of v

fema might have to go to congress for more money. mike burns is fema's disaster relief coordinator in new york city. burns said fema's flood policy is limited in flood zones but its agency is re-examining individual cases. >> give me the details we'll look into it and we'll find out what went on here. >> reporter: they did receive $5,000 from their private home insurer for wind damage. not nearly enough to rebuild. >> are you angry? >> absolutely. but at the same time i don't know what else to do. we turned to the people we thought would help us, and they haven't done anything. >> reporter: the family will live with other family members until they figure out what to do. michelle miller, cbs news, staten island. >> this morning a 200-year-old letter written by napoleon has sold for ten times the pre-sale estimate. the secret coded letter details his desperate last order to blow up the kremlin. it was signed simply as nap. the letter was expected to being auctioned off for $20,000 but a french museum bought it for $243,000. a whole lot

claim, fema offered only $2,800. you can imagine, he doesn't have any choices right now. his only choice actually is to declare bankruptcy if he's able to rebuild his home. and this is a man who lived through the terrors of 9/11, represented our nation in iraq, with courage and dignity, and now he's fighting for his own life to save his family and his home. these are store res that you've heard so many times. in your own state and your own community. i want to thank you for understanding how important this is and letting my colleagues and i all testify. what we new have to do is begin to rebuild our state. we've been hit very hard across the hudson valley, a-- across the five boroughs. as you know, families, homes are destroyed an their businesses are leveled. but the -- but just like folks from your state, they're tough. they get knocked down by they get back every single time. now we need to focus on how we give them the tools they need to to this. we have over 00,000 homes seriously damaged, more than 265,000 busi

fema works for him. i told him, the middle class keeping getting the royal finger no matter who you turn to fema don't want to hear it, the insurance company don't want to hear it, everyone is giving the ball to everyone else. when you call your homeowners insurance they say any don't cover anything that is flooded or sewage or water so all my stuff in my house, i am getting zero. the flood insurance only covers structural damage. they send you a check or a settlement but you cannot cash that check because you are agreeing to that settlement. so, you have to go get someone to check your house out and make sure the insurance companies are being honest. >>eric: let me sum this up, you met with president obama days after the hurricane sandy. here we are, it has been several weeks after the meeting and you don't feel anything has happened? you don't feel your life is, you are being taken care of or thought about great fema, from schumer, 9 state, from the federal government including obama, is that right? >>

>>guest: fema, you went to fema and they give you a hotel because i was staying at the house and going through what was left and i knew they were safe at the hotel and fema extended their stay but they got a call from the tlc. >>neil: what is tlc? >>guest: in idea. someone dropped the ball and i was told she had to leave the hotel. fema said there was no problem, they said it was extended, and i said you know that but the hotel doesn't, and they said it is not our problem. >>neil: you went back to the hotel and fema said i should be there what happened? >>guest: they said they were not notified it has been authorized by fema as being paid for. >>neil: what did you do? >>guest: well, i asked someone at fema, i need someone's anyway, can i have your business card and they said they don't have a business card. taxicab drivers have business cards. they come down to the cold from warm climate areas to help people. it is really crazy what is going on. >>neil: and you were set up temporarily. what happened? >>guest: then, we were in this apartment right if you temporarily, it is not like --.

. >> fema has given a thunderstorms down to individual assistance here. lowell mesler joins us with more. >> this announcement by fema and the obama administration is receiving shock by all elected officials in maryland. earlier today on capitol hill senators pleaded once again with the fema director for help. >> come down from national geographic to take pictures how clean we are. they want to hear the songs. right now we're singing the blues and we're singing them loud and clear and we're singing them here. >> the senator speaks wednesday at a sub committee on hurricane sandy on capitol hill expressing sadness and disbelief that fema denied the state's request for individual assistance for the residents on the shore affected by superstorm sandy. another senator pointed out that the state was spared from the scene that happened to the north locations still received 30 inches of snow and some counties were destroyed by flooding. >> you are suffering as any part or any community of this storm with homes that are not hasn'table. >> they have pledged to appe

fema will still provide funds to the state that will help repair public structures such as roads. back on capitol hill the direct irseemed to be open to giving the eastern shore a closer look. >> i sometimes struggle with when we say no because it is never easy. but it doesn't mean we're not going to work with the governor and see what we can do. >> now maryland has 30 days to file the appeal and while those in the affected counties are being urged to contact local managers there was a hot line set up that number is 1-800- 492-6116 and that number is on our website at wbaltv.com. >> a look right now at our other top stories. we're continuing to monitor the breaking news that we brought to you at the top of the hour. no prarltes are being accepted at the emergency room at st. joseph medical center because of a police-involved shooting. around 2:30 this afternoon a prisoner was receiving treatment when hospital personnel realized he was hiding a needle in his clothing. the two struggled and the officer's gun discharged in a wall. we can confirm that no one was hurt but no new mates

fema comes in with community wide help, roads, bridge, basic foodstuffs. if it is not working right it has to be corrected it that simple. but don't forget. in almost all natural disaster in this country it is the private insurance industry that steps up as first line of defense. neil: it might be, but after katrina we learned that 140 million of up front federal money given, i don't know what happened to the other 100. maybe it did go out to other areas, and structures -- but that is the wrap against the large sums, you subscribe to 10% loss and abuse of moneys, contractor rule. then by thatting thamath, a gool will never reach the intended folks. >> you are right, the answer is two-fold, you are not throwing out the baby with the bag water. you -- bath water, you need fema and government assistance for a mass disaster on the other hand there has to -- >> money directly to people rather than an intermediary. >> i think you are right, it is an administrative issue, it is how you administer akin program like this. we, at bp got it out fast and right with mi

the fema administer says my people are told go sightseeing. even those who don't flip over himersonally are quickly acknowledging that he got and continues to get more done to help people out there than any institution, government, arian or otherwise. john, great to have you. >> neil, thanks for having me. before i, you are a folk hero in stanten island because you were the first person to allow me to talk about where we were lacking on resources in stanten island, particularly, with fema, and happy to talk the issue again, but before that, i was ordere to present you with this volunteer organization, our t-shirt, only given to volunteers putting in efforts and, your effort to help us and keep the word out about stanten island -- >> deeply honored, thank you. the catalyst for that, we were watching press conferences where, you know, all of these officials, you know, high fives, what great job they were doing, and then we were reminded by people in your fine burrows it's not happening, there's no white horse on the way, nothing on the w. there'

tom, i hope that fema's watching and i hope that fema gets extra help and i hope they help you and everybody else in your area. thank you for joining us. you know, we will have you back if nothing's changed in two weeks or even a week. let us know. >> thank you so much. >> thank you, tom. >> coming up, mccain and kerry. is it a new comedy team? why the senators got big laughs on capitol hill today. that's next. two years ago, the people of bp made a commitment to the gulf. bp has paid over twenty-three billion dollars to help those affected and to cover cleanup costs. today, the beaches and gulf are open, and many areas are reporting their best tourism seasons in years. d bp's also committed to america. we support nearly 250,000 jobs and invest more here than anywhere else. we're working to fuel america for generations to come. our commitment has never been stronger. he's going to apply testosterone to his underarm. axiron, the only underarm treatment for low t, can restore testosterone levels back to normal in most men. axiron is not for use in women or anyone younger than 18. axiron can tr

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i used to chair the funding of fema, so i'm a fema reformer. we practiced the three r. readiness, response, and now recovery. readiness,ic it worked. i think it worked in maryland. governor o'malley with the insistence we were ready -- we were ready and resilient. we all said -- punishment on ocean city. that protected $2 billion worth of property because we spend public money to protect private property. that worked. but now we're in to the recovery phase and this, and the response was great. we had heroic people. we were hit by a hurricane, on the shore and coming up our bay all the way to the inner harbor of the port of baltimore and hit by the blizzard in the western part of our state, which is the appalachians. we needed the national guard to respond. we had state troopers and other emergency responders on snow mobiles going in to take care of the elderly and get them out to safety. we did all of that. so now here we are. and now i'm going to just quick word about the shore. you heard what they said. [inaudible] rich in tradition and pride. hard working in -- [inau

the amendment would require fema to actually change the indicator by which fema determines a locality's eligibility for fema public assistance. it would make it much harder for states and local governments in the future to get federal aid after a disaster. it sounds benign, but this is a chokehold on fema for many localities and particularly for larger states like those that we represent. as you know, current per-capita damage thresholds are pegged to the consumer price index, and c.p.i. measures the average change over time in the prices paid by urban consumers for a specific market of basket goods. for new york, the per-capita threshold that has to be reached for a county to be declared a major disaster area is $1.37. my colleague's amendment would peg the per-capita threshold starting in 1986. you would have to have such enormous damage in so many localities to get money, and in effect it would double the per-damage threshold needed to be declared a disaster area. in every state, we have asked when we watch as disasters occur and we keep our fingers crossed to see that the federal go

this is not your grandfather's fema. this is a new fema. we have some new reforms that are authorized in this bill that are going to help the recovery go more quickly, and i'd like to talk about that for just a minute. some of the reforms that are in this bill, this is a reform-minded supplemental, it is drafted to do a more efficient, more effective, and smarter recovery, saving taxpayers money over time. it reauthorizes two expired pilot programs for -- from the post-katrina management reform act, allows the use of money to repair rental housing units and to expedite debris removal procedures. if you have not been a witness to a catastrophic disaster, you cannot imagine the amount of debris generated from either a massive fire or a massive flood. and the old rules that fema operated under were a waste of money, a waste of time and lost opportunity. so we've expedited debris removal. you can't even start rebuilding a community until you can get rid of the debris. it sounds, you know, like common sense, and it is, but there are some bureauc

>> the most immediate assistance is fema. the individual assistant program, or they can register online at disaster assistance.gov. if they have registered and they are still working through that, we are providing short-term assistance as well as longer-term housing. you have to understand what we are going to do, and that is why we are working very closely and asking secretary donovan to take the leap. i think we can take the lead. doesn't make sense to go back where they were or look at things differently, and this goes back where there is a sentiment among the communities that don't just want to repair what was there, they won't look at how do we minimize people at risk next time they are not as easy to replace because people do not own them. it was a good place to rent and they were able to work and live in their communities we cannot repair all back, where will we assess where they go to school, where their kids go to school, where they work -- some of these issues will not be something that will get addressed immediatel

>>neil: fema is okay? >>guest: i mean, listen, when you have lost everything, any help is happy to be received. >>neil: and we have the man who led the 9/11 victims compensation fund and the b.p. oil spill under to make sure the right people got the right amount of money for the right cause, the right reason and no one bamboozled anyone and we will hear what he has to say and how he goes about compensating folks at 8:00 p.m. on fox business network. >> forget the political grinches in washington, will the striking pork workers in california be the real threat to "whoville." with the perfect vehicle that's just right for you, no matter which list you're on. [ santa ] ho, ho, ho, ho! [ male announcer ] lease a 2013 ml350 for $599 a month at your local mercedes-benz dealer. and i'm here to tell homeowners that are 62 and older about a great way to live a better retirement. it's called a reverse mortgage. [ male announcer ] call right now to receive your free dvd and booklet with no obligation. it answers ques

i have the pleasure of working for administrator fuget in fema headquarters. fema's role is to coordinate response between state and local governments and his focus, his direction to us really comes down it 3 things. he asks us to always plan for the worst case, the maximum of the maximums and it's go to see the department of defense is incorporating this within the catastrophe policy that was spoken about a little earlier. no. 2, he asked us to sppbld and are able to stabilize an incident within 72 hours. his mantra is think big, go big, go fast but not fast. 3, he asks us to do this within a whole community approach, not only it make sure we utilize the whole community in the response because there's much more responders past the federal-state responders. there's the public being responders and there's many others, private industry need to be in that so we try to integrate that into a whole community concept. and also to make sure when we respond we respond to take into account the whole community. not everybody looks like me and you but we need to be able t

geologic survey's, fema and so many other agencies. i think the chair managed to raise the right issue. you should be a turning point to do with these issues on a comprehensive basis, not on a particular race basis. there are smaller measures that could be taken as well. in particular we should not ignore the army corps is continuing authorities program as part of the response. this includes section 103, small beach erosion. fiction to a five-foot controlled in section two of environmental restoration. for states and communities with limited resources, smaller scale projects can be enormously beneficial and effective, particularly after disasters. i appreciate the steps taken for water resources development act to utilize authority for post-disaster assessment projects. i also want to acknowledge the efforts to increase the course limitations of cap authorities. these are positive measures we should work on. before i conclude, i want to note the role in limiting damage. we often overlook prudent steps that are taken before the payoff s

. >> fema has been fantastic. >> today you hear nothing about the things about fema. >> everyone has made this a number one priority and this continues to be my number one priority. neil: it remains sticky with this politician parade. thousands of angry victims simply looking for answers, and they are not getting them. cash-strapped homeowners dealing with mortgage is very much alive and well and thinks the dataset on keeping those mortgages current. this week it is like an awful lot. it's piling up. this next guest knows it firsthand. scott mcgrath. he was at that town hall meeting and he joins me now on the phone. or, you made your views very clear. very lovely. very well. did you get any response? >> absolutely not. they did not get a response. they never gave us a direct answer. they just among hear it. neil: was the whole idea of the town hall meeting anyway? this is going to be like a pta meeting? officials think things are hunky dory? >> we heard rumors about. >> you know, everybody on the side of the house -- there are people dealing with water, i have 6 feet of water outside

when they started speaking with fema about replacing those buses, fema said they had to buy used buses of roughly the same age. these agencies were put in the absurd position of scouring the country trying to find someone who would sell them old bosses. but with mitigation funding, we can pay for new buses to replace the old ones. this same principle applies to rail transit. should we put the station back together with the same exact vulnerability to flooding, or should we rebuild in a way that would prevent such extensive flood damage in the future. of course we should rebuild. for my friends who are fiscal hawks, it is fiscally responsible to ensure that we do not have repetitive loss, economic consequences, and human consequences. we can prevent hundreds of millions of dollars to future damages to our transit system. to understand the importance of rebuilding in a way that makes us more resilient, let me lay out some facts about the damage to the region. based on preliminary estimates, over 300,000 homes were damaged. over 20,000 were destroyed or made uninhabitable. the estimate in

president obama should be on the phone with fee i fema. >> fema has billions of dollars. >> greta: what's their problem? >> it's a big bureaucracy. it's like going to the dmv. >> greta: the president said we'll cut through the red tape. >> easier said than done. there's a massive bureaucracy. >> greta: it can be done. >> there are people getting tickets for houses that aren't cleaned up. they're getting tickets. criminal tickets. >> greta: that's outrageous. panel, thank you both. >>> straight ahead, terrifying news out of syria. a short time ago a report deadly sarin gas is locked and loaded inside canisters. if it's relatesd, tens of thousands could die within one minute. ambassador john bolton is here. that's next. want to try to crack it? yeah, that's the way to do it! now we need a little bit more... [ male announcer ] at humana, we understand the value of quality time and personal attention. which is why we are proud to partner with health care professionals who understand the difference that quality time with our members can make... that's a very nice cake! ohh! [ giggles ] [ male

even fema. fema has answered to him, so why are they not? charles: scott, here is another thing. one of the things we did see from people in staten island is that they sort of took a can-do approach to this. the first responders obviously did a fantastic job, but the local businesses have pitched in almost immediately, and they have done a lot of things that you normally would've expected the government to do. do you talk about it being a republican town. a lot of people are saying that the republicans all of a sudden want government aid. how come the people in never vote for this stuff all of a sudden think that they should be entitled to a? >> well, yes, it is true, the neighbors got together. it was the people from the outer boroughs. different areas. again, they say that they are praising fema and the governor of new york to the mayor of new york to the president. the only time i have seen the governor or mayor, was that the time i saw the president that day. they are giving applause to the wrong agency. charles: right. before i let you go, we are not going to let you go unti

president obama should be on the phone with fee i fema. >> fema has billions of dollars. >> greta: what's their problem? >> it's a big bureaucracy. it's like going to the dmv. >> greta: the president said we'll cut through the red tape. >> easier said than done. there's a massive bureaucracy. >> greta: it can be done. >> there are people getting tickets for houses that aren't cleaned up. they're getting tickets. criminal tickets. >> greta: that's outrageous. panel, thank you both. >>> straight ahead, terrifying news out of syria. a short time ago a report deadly sarin gas is locked and loaded inside canisters. if it's relatesd, tens of >> greta: this is a fox news alert. syria is preparing loading deadly sarin gas into canisters. the syrian military mixing the components of the nerve gas and now the military awaiting the go signal from president assad to unleash it on his own people. if fighter jets drop the bombs, these canisters of sarin gas will kill people within one minute. no err 0 country's military will be able to help. ambassador john bolton joins us. good evening, ambassador. yo

there are constraints on what fema can do. it'll stop them from rebuilding a homeowner that is waiting for a decision about whether they will have more than $31,000 to rebuild literally cannot get on with their lives but there is not a decision about whether the resources would be available. they had access to assistance from the small business administration. they are limited. what we often see is that because they have loan programs the smaller businesses because the neighborhoods are destroyed or deeply damaged, their prospects are shaky. supporting the loan is going to be impossible. we have thousands of small businesses that are stopped in their tracks. these are decisions that need to be made literally in the next few weeks i would also just at that this goes beyond those types of decisions. he could attest to how important the economy of the shore is in new jersey. whether or not we're able to move quickly enough to restore the small businesses for the summer season and is the decision if we do not have a supplemental i

. >> we're pleased that under leadership of janet napolitano and fema. >> fema has been fantastic. >> you hear nothing but good things g about fema about this continues to be my number one priority. neil: that is what really annoys the storm victims, not so much help was immediately on the way, but they were high five each other, fooling the nation to thinking that help was already there. let's say staten islander, wall street veteran said, not every penny goes to victims, it goes to politicians, john, taken it to his own hands to help out people with volunteer project. wide wednesday respect among everybody. >> thank you, neil. neil: what do you think of this? all this money, and a lot not going to those affected? >> i wish i could get into my true staten island vernacular to express the words, when i see this bill, i am resulting mad, -- ripping mad, whatever happens to staten island right now could happen to them, why in god's name do we care about alaska fisheries, you know on the ground, i am a really sensitive guy, been helping people sunday two, there are people in staten islan

he says fema works for me. fema isn't doing anything. they are going in a circle saying denied. >> evacuees are thankful to have a please to spleem but it's nice for kids to have space run around. they to be setting up camp as far as victims are setting up shelters. if you would like to donate, go to that website. back to you. >> gregg: anna, thank you. >> heather: coming up, lawmakers they have just one month left to avoid the fiscal cliff. our guest says it's more like a fiscal nuclear bo78. >> gregg: big developments in syria where the internet blackout appears to be ending. where the fighting is flaring up now. >> heather: senate taking action to prevent the terror suspects at guantanamo bay from being held on u.s. soil. what would happen if gitmo closes? >> the people who attacked us at 9/11 in that prison want to destroy our way of life. they don't want to steal your car. they don't want to break in your how long. the boys use capital one venture miles for their annual football trip. that's double miles you can actually use. tragic

plus, fed up with fema? how you can protect >> forget the pain, if we fall into the financial ditch. a new regulation in the the health care law might mauck you down right sick right now. the white house just announcing plans to slap health insurers with a fee if they sell insurance dictated by the president's health care law and larry says you'll pay for it no matter where you live, huh? >> that's right. that's right, you know, administrative costs and health care are already skyrocketing and this is going it to get past the consumer just like everybody else. we already see skyrocketing health care costs, 14% is administrated, it's just too much. >> some parts of the law lower prices and is it net neutral, basically? >> i think the only given is that the country as a whole is going to spend more on health care and more people are going to have insurance one way or another, gun point are fine or whatever it is, but the actual premiums among are necessarily going to change. although there are plenty of things