Lack of understanding is universal in the recovery process

Easter and Cavenaugh reveal how little they and other residents understood the relief process, and the inadequate job local and federal groups did in educating residents about it. FEMA and local health departments had terrified and confused residents by telling them to discard everything touched by floodwaters, but residents did not appear to understand why. They thought also that if they threw away the property as instructed, they would be compensated.