Correspondence: suggestions for the Commission (2 of 2), 1977-1991, p. 57 |
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Rick & Lois Deeter
P.O. Box 840
King's Canyon National Park
California 93633
February 21, 1981
Senator S.I. Hayakawa
523 West 6th Street
Los Angeles, California
Dear Senator:
So long as an area was declared legally a "disaster", hearing on
the news of some terrible calamity which had economically ravaged
a community never caused me to lose sleep. That was before 1980.
Until then, I felt comfortably assured that after this declaration
was made, people who had sustained a major property loss would
receive the help necessary from the government in order to recover
their equilibrium. I felt that the Disaster Relief Program had
been set up to insure this...but no more.
Now I am not sure what the purpose of the Disaster Relief Program
is, unless maybe to torture unsuspecting and damaged property
owners by dangling illusory life rafts in front of them, while
following all the way into shore to see if they can swim on their
own, or simply to wave to them as they sink. It appears that the
philanthropic notions with which I was so comfortable have no more
substance than a fairytale.
"What has caused this change in attitude?" you might ask. Quite
simply, my family filed for relief after the 1980 flooding in
Southern California caused serious damage to our apartment building in Torrance. We asked for a loan, not a grant—of $18,500,
which was to be secured by the four-unit building which had sustained the damage. Unable to afford to leave two units vacant
until the government could assess the damage and estimate repair
costs, we did some of the repair work ourselves as quickly as
possible with the help of friends. The remainder of the repair
work was done by others, who billed us for their services. Most
agreed to wait for payment for their labor until we received
funds from the anticipated loan. Professional estimates were
procured for the work that was done and receipts were kept for
materials, etc. We also took some photographs of the work in
progress. All this was done to substantiate the expenses listed
in our application. During this time, we were unable to pay any
of our personal bills, while' generating many, many more in order
to make the necessary repairs. Meanwhile we assumed and kept
hoping that Disaster Relief would soon provide us with the urgently
needed loan with which to pay this steadily growing indebtedness.
We are still^waiting. All of our property teetered on the verge of
foreclosure in the fall of 1980, when by the grace of God we were
Object Description
Description
| Title | Correspondence: suggestions for the Commission (2 of 2), 1977-1991, p. 57 |
| Format (imt) | image/tiff |
| Physical access | Contact: Special Collections, Doheny Memorial Library, Libraries, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0189; specol@dots.usc.edu |
| Full text | Rick & Lois Deeter P.O. Box 840 King's Canyon National Park California 93633 February 21, 1981 Senator S.I. Hayakawa 523 West 6th Street Los Angeles, California Dear Senator: So long as an area was declared legally a "disaster", hearing on the news of some terrible calamity which had economically ravaged a community never caused me to lose sleep. That was before 1980. Until then, I felt comfortably assured that after this declaration was made, people who had sustained a major property loss would receive the help necessary from the government in order to recover their equilibrium. I felt that the Disaster Relief Program had been set up to insure this...but no more. Now I am not sure what the purpose of the Disaster Relief Program is, unless maybe to torture unsuspecting and damaged property owners by dangling illusory life rafts in front of them, while following all the way into shore to see if they can swim on their own, or simply to wave to them as they sink. It appears that the philanthropic notions with which I was so comfortable have no more substance than a fairytale. "What has caused this change in attitude?" you might ask. Quite simply, my family filed for relief after the 1980 flooding in Southern California caused serious damage to our apartment building in Torrance. We asked for a loan, not a grant—of $18,500, which was to be secured by the four-unit building which had sustained the damage. Unable to afford to leave two units vacant until the government could assess the damage and estimate repair costs, we did some of the repair work ourselves as quickly as possible with the help of friends. The remainder of the repair work was done by others, who billed us for their services. Most agreed to wait for payment for their labor until we received funds from the anticipated loan. Professional estimates were procured for the work that was done and receipts were kept for materials, etc. We also took some photographs of the work in progress. All this was done to substantiate the expenses listed in our application. During this time, we were unable to pay any of our personal bills, while' generating many, many more in order to make the necessary repairs. Meanwhile we assumed and kept hoping that Disaster Relief would soon provide us with the urgently needed loan with which to pay this steadily growing indebtedness. We are still^waiting. All of our property teetered on the verge of foreclosure in the fall of 1980, when by the grace of God we were |
| Filename | indep-box23-14-03~055.tif |
| Archival file | Volume78/indep-box23-14-03~055.tif |
