Debit cards cut off, but aid still flowing

USA TODAY, September, 2005 by Mimi Hall and Peter Eisler

Households devastated by Hurricane Katrina are eligible for $2,000 in immediate cash assistance from the federal government, although that aid will no longer come in the form of a debit card. Over the weekend, the Federal Emergency Management Agency ended the experimental debit-card program after giving out about 10,000 cards to people in large shelters in Texas.

Here are answers to some commonly asked questions about debit cards and federal assistance:

Q: Why scrap the debit cards?

A: The debit-card program was a first-of-its-kind attempt to get money quickly to people who didn't have bank accounts or addresses to receive checks. But it caused great confusion. Thousands lined up for cards at the Astrodome in Houston after the program was announced Wednesday, but no cards were immediately available. As distribution got rolling Thursday, officials had to lock the Astrodome gates because so many poor people from around ...