Hundreds of millions in Katrina funds remain unspent

[mike r]

Source: NBC News

Five years after Hurricane Katrina destroyed more than 200,000 Louisiana homes, the state program established to help families rebuild still hasn’t paid out more than three-quarters of a billion dollars and has come under fire from a federal judge for discriminating against black homeowners.

The Road Home program, which state officials developed in July 2006 to funnel grants of up to $150,000 to Louisianans whose homes were destroyed or damaged by huricanes Katrina and Rita in August and September 2005, has disbursed about $8.6 billion to about 127,000 families. But officials of the Louisiana Office of Community Development acknowledged this week that more than $777 million remained in the fund as the fifth anniversaries of the devastating storms approach. That money should be going in direct payouts to about 3,000 eligible families and to help cover other recovery costs.

The unallocated Road Home funds have sat around for so long that they’ve outlived the state agency that initially ran the program. Road Home is on its second parent after the Community Development Office’s Disaster Recovery Unit assumed oversight when the Louisiana Recovery Authority — which oversaw rebuilding from the hurricanes — went out of business at the end of June, as planned by legislators in the wake of the storms.

“We’re sitting on almost $800 million in homeowner money that’s not been expended. Is that right?” state Rep. Neil Abramson, a Democrat from New Orleans, disbelievingly asked at a meeting Tuesday night of the Legislature’s Hurricane Recovery Committee, which was packed with angry residents...

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38788131/ns/us_news-life/

[Joanne98]

1. They're probably saving it for tax cuts for the rich!

[Lightning Count]

2. Give them time.

You can't expect them to give out this money overnight.

Sarcasm.

[valerief]

3. BP will need more tax cuts and the money is, after all, "Gulf-related". nt

[MichiganVote]

4. Collecting interest in some bank somewhere...for whose benefit?

[elehhhhna]

5. My friend's inlaws got "road home" dough at least a year ago...

and they'd never left! The house flooded and was fully restored by their homeowners insurance - including temporary living expenses. It's all about knowing how to fill out paperwork. The semi-literate poor are screwn. Lieracy = resources.

[hughee99]

6. The money will get distributed in an election year.

It's a good way to remind people who to vote for... as to why it has not been distributed yet, that's another issue.

[groundloop]

7. Gov Jindahl doesn't use all Natl Guard trops available for oil spill. Gov Jindahl ....

Bobby is screwing the state of Louisiana again (still). Think Fox will mention the fact?

[Francesca9]

8. Hundreds of millions in Katrina funds remain unspent

Source: MSNBC

NEW ORLEANS — Five years after Hurricane Katrina destroyed more than 200,000 Louisiana homes, the state program established to help families rebuild still hasn’t paid out more than three-quarters of a billion dollars and has come under fire from a federal judge for discriminating against black homeowners...

But officials of the Louisiana Office of Community Development acknowledged this week that more than $777 million remained in the fund as the fifth anniversaries of the devastating storms approach. That money should be going in direct payouts to about 3,000 eligible families and to help cover other recovery costs.

The unallocated Road Home funds have sat around for so long that they’ve outlived the state agency that initially ran the program.

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38788131/ns/us_news-life/

---

slow, slow, and slower

[DJ13]

9. Can we say "slush fund"

[Francesca9]

12. Slush funds are a LA tradition

[xchrom]

10. American Incompetence - the new national treasure. Nt

[Kurovski]

11. K&R. (nt)

[KakistocracyHater]

13. congressional investigation anyone? no? figures

*

[No Elephants]

15. I take your point, but

I can't recall many Congressional investigations recently that resulted in anything that I really understand.

Remember the one into firing of DofJ attorneys? Besides giving Marcia Godling immunity, what else happened?

How about the investigation into computerized voting machines? New election laws? No? Anything?


I guess the hearings get info before the public, but jeez. It's one heck of an expensive, time consuming way to do that if it's going to end up going nowhere in the end.


Are they expecting us to buy pitchforks and tar and take the law into our own hands (as they say in old Westerns)? If not, I'm not sure I get the point.. Waxman's hobby maybe? I don't get it.

[KakistocracyHater]

17. then in what way & by what method do we change course & uphold our law?

*

[Mnemosyne]

19. Oh yeah? Wrong!

They nailed Clemens! You know, something IMPORTANT!

Pay attention! No one can afford the tar and pitchforks any longer.


:evilgrin::hi:

[Suich]

14. Road Home has been a joke since day 1! n/t

[Yeahyeah]

16. That money's on the Road Home to the PTB's house.

[and-justice-for-all]

18. Money Hoarders...nt