The ESL Free Press

Photo: Waiting to Leave

Pakistanis wait for U.S. Navy planes to take them out of a flooded area.

 U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Jason Bushong

Not a Victim

Desima James told the Federal Emergency Management Agency that he was a victim of disasters in five different States. Now, he admits he was lying.

James pleaded guilty on Monday. The court found that he got over $30,000 by making fake claims to FEMA. He said he lived in areas that had been hit by hurricanes, flooding, and a tornado. James gave different names and addresses in Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Indiana, and New Hampshire. He really lived in Georgia.

FEMA mailed him money to help with his "emergencies".

"Mr. James exploited other people's misfortune in hopes of being delivered a life of ease," says the Postal Inspector in charge of Atlanta, Georgia. 

source

printable:Download Not a Victim.pdf (19.1K)

Repair Scams

Many homes in the U.S. were damaged by severe weather this winter and spring. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has a warning for people whose homes were damaged: Don't get cheated by someone who offers to do repairs.

To protect yourself:

• Don't hire anyone who goes door to door looking for repair work.

• Use a licensed contractor.
  

• Talk to people the contractor has worked for before.

• Get estimates (an idea of how much the work will cost) from several contractors.

• Don't believe any contractor who says he's certified by FEMA -- the agency doesn't do this.

• Get a contract that says what work the contractor will do, how much it will cost, and when you will pay.

• Don't pay in advance.

• Pay by check or credit card.

• If someone says they're from the government, ask to see their ID. FEMA officials will never ask for your Social Security number or bank information.

Source

Printable: Download Repair Scams.pdf (19.3K)

Video: Tornado Damage in Mississippi, USA

Storm Victim Admits Getting Money by Fraud

A man in New Orleans got help from the U.S. government after Hurricane Katrina -- but he wanted more. Now, he admits that he lied to get it.

Katrina destroyed much of New Orleans in 2005. The government gave money to people who had lost their homes. It also gave them stamps they could use to get food.

George Magee got help this way. But he also pretended to be two other people. He applied for help in their names. When the government sent them checks, he cashed them by forging the others' signatures. Magee also got food stamps this way.

He pleaded guilty on Friday. He could go to prison for 30 years or more, and could also have to pay back all the money plus a fine.

Source

Printable: Download storm victim admits getting money by fraud.pdf (21.0K)

Strange Storm

A tropical cyclone has been seen off the coast of Brazil. This type of storm usually doesn't happen in the South Atlantic -- the water is too cold.

The storm, System 90Q, is moving away from Brazil and is expected to disappear in the next few days. 

Image: NASA

Video from Chile: "Little is left standing"

Soldiers Use Snowshoes to Get to Mother and Baby

Two soldiers walked three miles on homemade snowshoes to rescue a woman and her baby in West Virginia, USA.

The area had been hit by two snowstorms. There were about three feet of snow on the ground. For two days, there was no power.

The woman was stuck in her home with her four-week-old baby, who was premature (had been born early). A neighbor got worried and told officials about them.

Two medics from the National Guard went to help

.

Staff Sergeant Harry F. Accor III  and  Specialist Derek C. Folk had a Humvee, but they couldn't get it through the snow. So they made snowshoes from pine branches and rope.

They snowshoed to the woman's home. Accor put the baby in his backpack. The mother got on a sled. Folk tied a rope around his waist to pull it. He did this with three broken bones in his hand.

The soldiers took the two to a relative's home.

Source

Printable:Download soldiers make snowshoes to get to mother and baby.pdf (21.1K)

Snow Hits U.S. Capitol

Heavy snow is causing problems in Washington, D.C., the capitol city of the U.S.

More than 30 inches fell on Saturday, and more is expected today.

Many workplaces closed. So did the city's transit system (buses and trains).

But some people -- police, firefighters, doctors and nurses -- still had to go to work. Soldiers from the National Guard picked these people up in Humvees. Once, they drove the city police chief to the scene of a shooting.

There were not many other vehicles driving on the streets. But some had been left there when their owners couldn't drive further.

The soldiers are ready to keep doing this till Thursday.

Source

Printable:Download snow hits us capitol.pdf (19.9K)

Cyclone Hits India, Rains on Tibet

Cyclone Phyan made landfall north of Mumbai, India, on Wednesday night. Now it has weakened and moved on to Tibet.

The storm killed seven fishermen, NASA says, according to reports from sifynews.com . A hundred are still missing. The sugar cane harvest has been delayed (made late) because of the storm.

However, now that Phyan is in Tibet, it is causing only moderate (medium) rain.

Source

Printable:Download cyclone phyan.pdf (18.6K)