[StBernard] [LANDRIEU] FYI -- CNN looking for your tips on FEMA's broken promises.

[Westley Annis]

Dear friends,

 

For those of you following the developing situation with FEMA's broken
promises to Hurricane Rita-devastated schools, we wanted to share with you
today's post on CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 blog
(http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/anderson.cooper.360/blog/2006/12/hot-sauce-
for-fema.html), referring to their terrific story last night.  We encourage
you to take them up on their invitation to share any other tips of broken
FEMA promises, and hope you will also share your tip with us by sending
Senator Landrieu a message at http://landrieu.senate.gov/contact.  

 

Have a great weekend.

 

 

 <http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/anderson.cooper.360/blog/> 

 

Friday, December 01, 2006

Hot sauce for FEMA

 
<http://www.cnn.com/video/player/player.html?url=/video/us/2006/12/01/johns.
school.flap.cnn> 

We first got wind of more problems with FEMA's Gulf Coast reconstruction
effort from the office of Lousiana Senator Mary Landrieu. What her people
told us was depressingly familiar -- that beset by mistakes and indecision,
FEMA was trying to back out of commitments it had made to relocate some
flood-damaged schools to higher ground.

When we got down to Iberia and Vermillion parishes, about two hours west of
New Orleans in bayou country, we got an earful from local school officials.

Turns out FEMA had spent the last year assuring them that they'd get new
schools, then turned around and took it back. Apparently the schools weren't
damaged enough to satisfy one of FEMA's rules. Rather than relocate, they'd
have to rebuild in the flood zones.

The problem is at least one district, taking FEMA's original promise at face
value, had already bought some land. Another district was well into the
planning stages when FEMA put the brakes on.

As you can see by our report, the locals weren't about to let FEMA off the
hook, and neither was Landrieu. The upshot -- FEMA is now looking for ways
to make good, and those kids, who have been basically camping out in foster
schools for a year, may end up wth their new schools after all.

Take a look at our report (viewable above), and if you know of any other
instances where FEMA is trying to pull out of commitments made, let us know.
We'd also love to get your tips for other "Keeping them honest" stories we
should chase ... on any subject. We'll check them out.

*	Send us your confidential tip
<http://www.cnn.com/exchange/ireports/topics/forms/2006/12/ac360.anon.html> 

Posted By Steve Turnham, CNN Producer: 1:22 PM ET