Greer and Bob Toups

This video makes me feel sad. The poor guy loses everything and the insurance company that he paid to protect his assets,doesn't even pay for the damages. He should get his money back all the years he probably paid, or simply get him a new trailer.

This pisses me off.

we americans and the media that lies to us lose our attention spans faster than it takes our crunch berries to get soggy. i'm glad someone is still covering the plight of people like bob and greer, who continue to suffer right here in our "secure" homeland.

Should be on 60 Minutes.

excellent, kevin!

everyones story counts and it clips like these that can be a constant reminder that we all need to keep it close to our hearts and not forget
that just because it's not still in the headlines that these people still need our support.

Great Job Kevin!
This stuff just doesn't seem to end.

Stories like these need to be seen... and unfortunately there are thousands just as poorly off as this family. All the money we spend in the interest of "protection" obviously goes into someone's pocket and God help you if you actually need it someday.

Well done, Kevin.

I'm glad there are people like Kevin trying to get the truth out there. The spoon-fed media is doing a great disservice to these people and to all those that donated millions of dollars to relief efforts. And FEMA needs to be brought to trial for a lack of response that led to hundreds of deaths and gross mismangement of the entire situation to date.

Thanks Kevin and nice work!

I think most of the country doesn't realize how many people haven't and won't ever get help from FEMA or insurance. This video does a nice job of introducing us to people who fall through the cracks.

I feel sad and very dissapointed in FEMA - what could the rationale be for insufficient damage? More realities like this need to be seen. Keep on keeping on Kevin.

"Nation building" in Iraq, while our own people slip away. Thanks, Kevin, keep up the good fight.

very touching, i'm glad a friend pointed me to this docu. katrina has faded out of german tv-news. yet, i can imagine there are still big problems. the hurricane was as big as all germany. i wish the family portrayed in this clip and all ppl still suffering all the best for their futures. let not paragaphs and rules but humanity decide to give the help needed.
great job 3alarm. you should feed this clip to official tv.
cheers, cb

This is a moving and quietly enraging piece that expertly pulls you into one man's experience. It is clear to me while listening to Bob that the tragedy of Katrina is an on going story, one that continues to need to be told. Excellent filmmaking. Thanks Kevin.

Thank you for this current story. Hope this gets current coverage again. I would rather help our own then people abroad. Kim

Thank you Kevin for the documentary, which is very interesting indeed, as this sort of information is not often shown in Europe. A lot of people seem to have already forgotten about Katrina and its devastation...which is a very sad thing in itself!

Good work Kevin,
Thank you for reminding us what good documentation is all about, not all that trendy make-believe Michael Moore distorted-truth style rantings. This is important work you are doing. Do you have a follow up planned of this family?

Beautifully honest. Makes me want to go back and help more.

Thank you so much for this.

Thank you for bringing this story to us in such real terms.

Good work, Kev. Keep 'em coming because someone has to tell these stories.

Good job. This is a wonderful peice. You do such a good job of letting the story come out, and the story should be told. Well done, I hope to see this on tv, I'm giving it the go ahead.

excellente!

It is so important that we keep getting these messages and images in front of the American public. I live in Florida and everyone thinks everyone in the coastal areas on doing fine and back on track. This is so far from the truth. I can only imagine the suffering of people in all of the affected states.

When is someone going to make FEMA and our government accountable? It is apparent that we can't all count on our govenment any longer. It is more about the human spirit and kindness of our people contributing in every way we can.

Excellent work Kevin! Keep the messages coming!

This piece gives traditional television news something to shoot for. Without ominous voiceovers or obvious leading questions the narrative unfolds with dignity and emotional content, what a concept. Unfortunately, most mainstream news outlets are more concerned with the conundrum of providing titillation without offending their sponsors, the government, parent corporations or affiliates than they are at providing an honest story.
Until news agencies, of every incarnation, begin asking forthright, poignant and relevant questions we will never have any real answers. Hopefully work like this may put some “journalists” on notice.
Thanks Man,

A very sad little tale. I never felt distracted from this one. Aside from being short of technical savvy and poppy editing, I think this was good to green light. If anything, it could have been a little shorter and with one less look at the tractor destroying the house or, having a voice-over of Bob Greer while the tractor is demolishing the house.

rrrrrrrr....this makes me mad. something must be done - i hope this video helps.

Hi this is bob and greer toups ,

thanks for all the comments and a special thanks to the 2 people that sent gifts one sent toys for my grandson and the other sent a gift certificate,for some 2x4s.
we are currently fixing my garage to live in till something breaks loose and we can build another home.
like every one our needs are big and our monies are small butn with a little help we can make it.
bob toups
904 shipp st
waveland ,ms 39576
228-466-2750

This documentary was very well put together, and it's amazing that the FEMA would deny them financial assistance. Some things in the world just don’t make sense! Great film!

Right away it looses my interest. you havta make the begining more interesting.

actually i think the beginning was the best part... but i did lose a bit of interest as it went on. nonetheless it did a great job of capturing what people are going through down south after the storm, and it is important for us to see it.

One of the things that I find so promising about Current TV is the freedom it has to stay with important stories long after the mainstream media has moved on. Perhaps this is the top benefit of citizen journalism...

As horrifying it is to watch something like this - especially viewing this from SF where a big quake is seemingly inevitable - it is a postive thing to have the Toups' situation brought to light. Thanks for making this pod.

Compelling. Tragic. Interesting. Sad. You had me right from the beginning when Bob could hardly get the words out, I got teary-eyed. Insufficient Evidence? Are you kidding me! You did a really nice job of telling this story. A definite greenlight. Keep finding these stories!

heartbroken, truly heartbroken

I think the documentary was well thought out and put together. The story is heartbreking I even got tears in my eyes from this poor families story. I could not imagine watching someone tear down my house that I have lived in for 20+ years. It broke my heart.

Lots of potential, but needs polishing on the editing side. Good work.

good job, good luck

Awesome Pod!!! Belongs on Current. GREENLIGHT!

Having been on the ground doing reporting in Waveland and Bay St. Louis, the neighboring city, I can testify to there be a 1,000 heart-breaking stories around every corner.

As compelling as this video is, the fact that we see or hear from NO ONE at FEMA leaves a huge sucking hole in this piece.

FEMA can be rightly blamed for a lot, but when there are allegations like this tossed around, it's incumbent upon the producer to at least try and get FEMA's response. Otherwise, we are left shaking our heads and fists at the mythical FEMA boogyman.

And here's the thing: FEMA isn't running from anyone down there. All one has to do is drive over to the Hancock County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and ask to speak to the FEMA rep (his name is Sam). Chances are, you'll find Sam out front, chain smoking anyway and you can talk to him there.

I found that pennies turning into dust after being submerged a few days/weeks in contaminated water totally unbelievable. If at all true, this tiny bit of information would warrant much more exposure as it reveals some astonishing properties of the flood water.

Whoa, I never said you shouldn't have told this story; I only suggested that if when you have someone accusing FEMA of acting in a heartless way, it would behoove everyone to get FEMA on the record as well.

As for getting the story up "as SOON as i could," I have to what's the big deal? Katrina hit six months ago next week. These stories aren't going away. There's no big rush, it seems to me.

I wasn't attacking you, just providing comments, which is exactly what this section is for. I suggest you take a deep breath and re-group.

And I and my colleagues at MSNBC.com have, indeed, gotten the government's side, and the victims' side and on and on. We've been down in Waveland and Bay St. Louis since right after Katrinia hit and we're dedicated to following the recovery of those two towns for a year in our "Rising from the Ruin" project.

The video starts slowly and then begins to give the viewer a true sense of the person. He is a simple, sweet man who cannot quite comprehend what happened. We all have a sense of "the government will take care of us" which sadly is untrue. The politicians are not held to any moral standards I am familiar with. This catastrophe has shown what concerns our elected mangement in Washington. I for one would like to see a video on the National Guard unit that was to be there to help these people.

Yeah...the bulldozer was over-shot. Yeah...FEMAs side wasn't presented.
But I gave it a green light because it was an important, heart-felt piece that keeps the issue from being swept under the rug. One story of hundreds that I hope keep surfacing so that the demand for answers and solutions won't be ignored.
No, these stories aren't going away. That's because of people like Kevin who may fall short on the journalistic rules of credibility, but he might spark the attentions of the top professionals who can get through the doors for answers that maybe he could not have.
To me, it's clear that he did the piece to make a difference. And when that kind of passion drives us, instead of a rating, there lies the reason for "the big deal" and "the rush".
Good work Kevin! Keep it up!

put it on

Wow, I would love to see this get air time if for no other reason than to make the insurance guy feel terrible. Beyond that, I agree that a view from the other side might have been helpful, but at the same time, this piece tugged a