Last week W spent a few hours in the city visiting a local charter school using the photo-op to tout the advantages of the charter school system. He neglected to mention that many of the city's public schools are still closed, 18 months after Katrina. Bush also repeated, for the umpteenth time, his commitment to the region’s recovery and rebuilding, despite his failure to even mention the region in his recent State of the Union speech. Further, his repeated claim that he worked with Congress to write a $110 billion check for Katrina recovery and rebuilding is quite misleading.
It is rarely mentioned, for example, that the funds for rebuilding the Gulf Coast are divided among five states after three hurricanes, Katrina, Rita and Wilma. Of the total Congress appropriated, $59 billion is earmarked for the whole state of Louisiana and of that total, $14.7 is for insurance payments–payments to people who, over the years, have paid their premiums for Federal flood insurance. In addition $18 billion is mandated costs the Feds incurred in routine disaster relief–rescuing evacuating people, temporarily housing (FEMA trailers) and feeding them, providing medical care and all the other costs the government is faced with in any disaster, but not for rebuilding.
If we subtract from the total about $7.4 billion to finance the Road Home program, which is designed to help home owners rebuild, the remainder–about $19 billion by my figuring–is what the state of Louisiana has coming to it to rebuild schools, hospitals, public buildings (almost all of which in New Orleans were damaged), roads, bridges, ports and other parts of the infrastructure. How much of this will be available for New Orleans remains to be seen.
Folks in this town were hoping that Bush would do more than voice some tiresome platitudes. They hoped, if he was serious about really helping out, he would announce that he would direct FEMA to waive the 10 percent local cost-sharing requirement for Federal projects, something that was done immediately after 9/11 in New York and after hurricane Andrew in Florida.. The city has little money to meet this requirement, thus stymieing rebuilding. On this critical issue, not a word from this President.
It is rarely mentioned, for example, that the funds for rebuilding the Gulf Coast are divided among five states after three hurricanes, Katrina, Rita and Wilma. Of the total Congress appropriated, $59 billion is earmarked for the whole state of Louisiana and of that total, $14.7 is for insurance payments–payments to people who, over the years, have paid their premiums for Federal flood insurance. In addition $18 billion is mandated costs the Feds incurred in routine disaster relief–rescuing evacuating people, temporarily housing (FEMA trailers) and feeding them, providing medical care and all the other costs the government is faced with in any disaster, but not for rebuilding.
If we subtract from the total about $7.4 billion to finance the Road Home program, which is designed to help home owners rebuild, the remainder–about $19 billion by my figuring–is what the state of Louisiana has coming to it to rebuild schools, hospitals, public buildings (almost all of which in New Orleans were damaged), roads, bridges, ports and other parts of the infrastructure. How much of this will be available for New Orleans remains to be seen.
Folks in this town were hoping that Bush would do more than voice some tiresome platitudes. They hoped, if he was serious about really helping out, he would announce that he would direct FEMA to waive the 10 percent local cost-sharing requirement for Federal projects, something that was done immediately after 9/11 in New York and after hurricane Andrew in Florida.. The city has little money to meet this requirement, thus stymieing rebuilding. On this critical issue, not a word from this President.
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