[StBernard] FEMA debris contractors

[Westley Annis]

I spoke at great length today on the phone with FEMA. She and I bothed
searched their website to try and verify the remark from Craig last week
about FEMA prohibiting contractors who are paid by FEMA for debris removal
from working directly for private owners. We couldn't find that. She said
I'd have to give her a FEMA person's name and title so she could trace back
exactly what that FEMA rep told you, Craig and then she could verify that at
a higher level.

She did say that to her knowledge FEMA only knows the names of prime
contractors on the invoices it pays to the local government and if this was
correct, she didn't know how FEMA would know if a subcontractor worked
directly for homeowners.

I told her that as long as any fines were on the contractors and not the
homeowners, it mattered little. Just don't hold a homeowner responsible for
knowing who else a contractor has worked for. And then she said something
that is typical of FEMA. She said, "Well, you could ask to see all their
other contracts." And I said, "And the contractor would say to find somebody
else it's none of my business."

Ddk