After the fires, the National Disaster Dog and Pony Show rolled into town. A massive disaster response team was set up at the old Malibu Courthouse. First in line was FEMA, which promised immediate aid and then the Small Business Administration for long term two or four percent loans to help rebuild your home.
Well, the joke is on Malibu: follow-up calls from FEMA that homeowners were not eligible for any assistance and then the SBA. I told the SBA administrator that I had about a million dollars of insurance but it would probably take $2 million to rebuild my home. She said, “Well, our maximum loan is $240,000 and we subtract any money you get from your insurance policy.” I explained that there just were not any $240,000 homes in Malibu. I was told that was the Small Business Administration Policy and that was that.
It’s hard to believe that such a show was made of us applying for all this assistance when there really isn’t any.
And at the city, after being closed for many weeks, [is] finally opened for business. And business it is. No matter what permit you need there seems to be a fee. There is a fee for this and a permit required for that.
Just be aware that there is really no help out there. It’s the disaster after the disaster.
Terry Lucoff