GALVESTON — Federal agents told Olivia Payton this week that she would only get $3,000 in government assistance to help recover from Hurricane Ike.

They told her it was enough to rebuild her life.

They also told her it was all she could get from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Although the federal government is authorized to give up to $28,800 to people affected by Hurricane Ike, not everyone qualifies for the full amount.

And those who do qualify are finding out they must fight for every penny of federal assistance they need to begin the rebuilding process.

“They’re doing us bad down here,” Payton said. “They need to hear the people’s voices down here.”

The former Cedar Terrace resident, whose three-bedroom apartment was filled with about 3 feet of floodwater, said federal inspectors made mistakes on their report that are keeping her from getting the money she needs to start over.

She plans to appeal her case, as should anyone who thinks they haven’t gotten enough aid, said Ron Chaidez, a senior official with the federal agency’s individual assistance program.

Agents expect people to appeal and generally understand that applications often need to be updated or changed, he said.

Appeals must be made in writing and either mailed or faxed to the agency’s headquarters. The letter should include information about why the amount of assistance was incorrect.

Not For Everyone

The federal aid program offers money for rent, home repair and replacement of personal property.

But the grant money is really designed for people who don’t have a lot of money and cannot qualify for a disaster loan, Chaidez said.

The agency’s goal is to make sure it’s not duplicating assistance, he said.

People with insurance must first file claims to cover damage and temporary housing needs. They must then submit an application with the Small Business Administration, which offers low-interest loans to homeowners after a disaster.

People who can’t qualify for a loan can apply for money to pay for recovery expenses not covered by insurance, Chaidez said.

But the program will not help people pay off their mortgages if the city requires the house be demolished and their insurance policies only cover the cost of storm damage, he said.

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By the numbers

49,909 Galveston County residents have applied for federal assistance 35,436 inspections have been completed 24,437 city of Galveston residents have applied for federal assistance 18,378 inspections have been completed 4,165 families on the island received transitional housing assistance as of Oct. 12

As of Tuesday, the federal government has spent: $56,719,642 for housing assistance for Galveston County residents $13,977,557 for personal property replacement for county residents

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Filing an appeal

Write a letter detailing why the agency’s decision is not right.

If the letter is not notarized, include this statement: I hereby declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct.

Include the FEMA application number, disaster number, your full name, date and place of birth and address.

The letter must be postmarked within 60 days of the date of the original FEMA decision notice.

Letters should be faxed to 800-827-8112, marked “Attn: FEMA” or mailed to FEMA, National Processing Center, PO Box 10055, Hyattsville, MD 20782-7055.