It's your fault. No, it's your fault. Your fault! Your fault!!!

Can we stop with all the institutional whining? FEMA, Road Home, President Bush, Governor Blanco: get off your collective asses and help New Orleanians! It certainly wasn't our fault that the federal government installed faulty flood protections and failed to maintain them. You owe us!

Looks like Katrina soaked the Feds, too

Ouch! Looks like we're not the only ones to get suckered by Allstate. An investigative piece by Rebecca Mowbray in the Times-Picayune seems to indicate that Allstate has been inflating claims covered by federally-subsidized flood insurance and slashing payments for wind damage that Allstate has to pay out of its own pockets.

Let's get this party started!

Hooray! The AP is reporting that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (which runs the National Weather Service) is throwing itself a $4 million party to celebrate its 200th anniversary. Looks like the Gulf Coast might not be invited, however, since the NOAA is also cutting $700,000 for hurricane research at the same time. I wonder if that's why the director and deputy director of the National Weather Service are resigning? I guess they'll be missing the party.

When it rains, it pours

An editorial in the New York Times gives a sober and evenhanded statement of things as they are in the Big Difficult. There are signs of hope, albeit mostly from local residents, local neighborhood associations, and community organizations. Given FEMA's horrendous performance, the fact that it is slowly, but surely, getting out of the picture can only be a good thing. Still, with each dribble of good news seems to come a flood of bad: the Army Corps of Engineers' new levees are apparently as crappy as the old ones. Give 'em points for consistency.

Someone's getting paid

Steve Kelley, New Orleans Times-Picayune, 9 May 2007

Thanks to Times-Picayune political cartoonist Steve Kelley for making me laugh a little when I really wanted to hit someone. IFC, which runs (mismanages is more like it) Lousiana's Road Home Program--meant to provide funds to those whose houses were damaged or destroyed after the levees failed--handed out hefty bonuses to their executives despite their pathetic efforts since Day 1.

Surprise! Road Home Program not good at math

The Road Home Program is broke: they've got a shortfall of $2.9 billion and it could grow to $4 billion. This is money that's supposed to help New Orleanians come home and rebuild their homes. But, wooops, they hadn't calculated that insurance rates would rise after the disaster or that rebuilding costs would rise in the face of massive need and competition. What do they teach the MBAs who run these things?

It was bad enough that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers destroyed 200,000 homes because of its willful negligence in constructing storm defenses in New Orleans. To then have the Road Home Program be such a disaster is just more salt in the wounds.