Louisiana gets its first FEMA bills, totaling $156 million

[intheflow]

http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/news/13541465.htm

Louisiana gets its first FEMA bills, totaling $156 million
MELINDA DESLATTE
Associated Press

BATON ROUGE, La. - Louisiana's first bills from FEMA for its share of federal hurricane recovery efforts arrived over the holidays, and they were a doozy: $155.7 million, with a 30-day due date before interest starts accruing.

<snip>

Louisiana's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness received collection statements from FEMA on Dec. 29 for $139.7 million in aid for Hurricane Katrina and $16 million for Hurricane Rita.

State officials don't know how they're going to pay for the first bills or any others. They have been working with federal officials on possible payment plans, but a November estimate projected a daunting price tag that Louisiana ultimately could owe FEMA more than $3 billion.

<snip>

Alabama received a roughly $8 million FEMA bill, and Mississippi got a $55 million statement, Andrews said.

It's disturbing enough that Louisiana, one of the poorest states in the US pre-Katrina, is getting whacked with FEMA debt. But then to see that Mississippi only got billed $55 million when there are whole towns practically wiped off the map in Mississippi underscores both the neglect of the Mississippi coast by FEMA and the Republican-led federal government's punitive attitude toward Democratically-led Lousiana/New Orleans. :grr:

[EFerrari]

1. I know I'm going to be sorry, but WTF are these bills for?

Water that went to Maine? :wtf: