One Year After Katrina... Billions of $$$ Wasted

One Year After Katrina... Billions of $$$ Wasted
Tuesday, 29 August 2006, 12:10 pm
Press Release: US Congressional Representative
One Year After Katrina...
Billions of Dollars Wasted and America Remains Vulnerable

Monday, August 28, 2006 - Nearly one year has passed since Hurricane Katrina's landfall wrought havoc on the Gulf Coast, however, a new report issued by the Democratic Members on the U.S. House Committee Homeland Security finds that the nation is not much more prepared to effectively protect our communities and respond to catastrophic emergencies. The report, "One Year Later: Katrina's Waste," further develops several important contracting questions raised late last week by Democratic colleagues at the House Committee on Government Reform. In addition, the report urges Congress to address the institutional failures and poor emergency financial controls that continue to leave America vulnerable.

"This is a stark reminder of the federal government's failures of organization, imagination, and mitigation, which left our communities in the Gulf Coast out to dry last year. Sadly, when it comes to catastrophic planning, this Administration has been pennywise and pound foolish. Billions of American tax dollars and donations were wasted. Worse yet, the small businesses in or near communities hard hit by the storm were never afforded the opportunity to rebuild their own communities," said Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security.

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