Residents of North Ogden whose homes were damaged by floods are feeling angry and forgotten after the federal government refused to give them disaster relief funds Monday.
"(Government officials) don't really have any concern for us," said David Skeen, whose home was destroyed in the slides.Record rain fell in the first week of September, triggering mudslides in North Ogden. One house was destroyed by the slides and others were severely damaged.
On Sept. 14, Gov. Norm Bangerter asked President Bush to declare the area a disaster area, making it possible for residents to receive federal money to help them rebuild their homes and lives. Utah asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency for $6 million to repair homes, businesses and infrastructure.
On Tuesday, the governor's office announced that the request had been denied. FEMA director Wallace Stickney said his office determined the state and local governments were capable of paying for the damage. Bangerter's office said the state will continue to pursue other avenues of help for the residents, many of whom were left homeless.
"It seems like there's a lot of money going all over the world - going to things that don't seem to be as important as the people back home," Linda Skeen said.
Although Bangerter has said the Small Business Administration will assist homeowners by offering low-interest loans, the Skeens don't consider that much help.
"All I need is another loan," said Mr. Skeen. "A loan isn't helping people out - it's burying people." He says small-business owners in the area have helped him more than the government.
"They're saving me more money than the government of the state," he said.
Jenny and Terry Fullwiley share the anger and frustration that the Skeens are experiencing.
The Fullwileys' home was gutted by the slides, which destroyed everything except their bedrooms.
"I think that it is a crying shame," said Jenny Fullwiley. "We are taxpayers. We work our whole lives and save so we can at least live, and then something like this happens and you can't get any funding."
Jenny Fullwiley warned others not to ignore the problem just because it didn't affect them.
"If they (other people) don't think it's fair then let their congressmen and senators know that they're not happy with the decision," she said.
She said residents were told that the slides weren't "big enough" or "devastating enough." After explaining that they'd lost over $100,000 to the slides, she asked what devastation meant.
"How is that not devastating by anybody's standards?" she asked. "I don't understand."
The area was saturated with 8.5 inches of rain, which caused mud-slides in portions of Weber County. The Skeens' home was ripped right off of its foundation and at least 18 others were left uninhabitable. Homeowners are also angry because it took 31/2 weeks for the federal government to reach a decision.
Many residents say the only money they've received has been from Red Cross. The organization has paid for housing and food for some of the families. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, neighbors and small businesses have also assisted the mudslide victims.