[StBernard] St. Bernard team, FEMA meet today

[Westley Annis]

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

St. Bernard bureau

St. Bernard Parish officials say they will meet with the Federal Emergency
Management Agency in Algiers today to try again to speed the flow of
hurricane recovery money to the parish. 

Parish President Henry "Junior" Rodriguez said late Monday that unless the
parish receives an infusion of cash, the parish's chief storm recovery
contractor, United Recovery Group, will leave the job. 

"This is a serious issue that needs to be resolved," Rodriguez said. 

Since shortly after Hurricane Katrina, the United Recovery Group has been in
the parish removing debris, demolishing more than 4,500 homes and hauling
sewage from the parish's destroyed network of sewage plants. URG received
about $7.3 million in February and early March but is still owed more than
$100 million for its work, officials have said. 

Parish officials have complained for months that it is difficult to shake
financing loose from FEMA, even though the agency has approved about $387
million for work in St. Bernard Parish. 

URG has continued working in St. Bernard while parish officials try to speed
the flow of money. But Rodriguez said that unless the company is paid, it
likely will set a deadline this week for pulling out of the parish. 

"He's been paid very little," Rodriguez said, adding that URG has said it
can no longer carry the parish. "There's only so deep a pocket anybody would
have." 

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My question:  Who's the "He" ?