Craig Fugate: FEMA not relying solely on the Web

FEMA chief Craig Fugate acknowledged that many Sandy victims can’t get help via the Internet.

“Yes, I know there’s no power and the Internet is not going to help and you can’t call 1-800-FEMA. That’s why we also put people on the ground, starting [October 31], to go door to door, start getting into those neighborhoods,” Fugate said during a gaggle aboard Air Force One en route to New Jersey. On Oct 29, President Barack Obama urged people to stay indoors and keep an eye on a government website, ready.gov, for more information — despite the fact that that’s hard to do for people without power or Internet access. Neither President Obama nor local or national broadcasters provided emergency phone numbers at the start of the storm, in anticipation of power failures. Fugate also touted FEMA’s website for people who can still go online.