[StBernard] FEMA at odds with St. Bernard, Orleans, state over projects

[Westley Annis]

FEMA at odds with St. Bernard, Orleans, state over projects

08:40 PM CST on Friday, January 16, 2009

Katie Moore / Eyewitness News 


NEW ORLEANS - Hurricane Katrina didn't just level homes in St. Bernard
Parish, President Craig Taffaro said the storm is causing the parish to
replace 30 to 50 miles of roads, as the parish and FEMA remain at odds over
the cost to fix those roads. 

"If FEMA does not agree to do it in the way that we think is appropriate,
and our contractors tell us is appropriate to build a road in Southeast
Louisiana, it could mean the difference of $20 to 30 million," said Taffaro.


Right now, they're working on what amounts to a counter offer for FEMA's
latest proposal. If that is rejected, St. Bernard Parish can formally appeal
the decision. 

St. Bernard's road repairs are a lot like New Orleans' buildings. There is a
huge cost discrepancy in how much FEMA is willing to pay and what local
governments say they need to do the work. But those disagreements largely
are the result of a discrepancy in the scope of work. 

For example, even though New Orleans argues the Seventh District Fire
Station is structurally unsound, FEMA engineers said it's not, and
therefore, it is not on FEMA's replacement list, only 12 of the city's 280
damaged buildings are. 

"FEMA has done its due diligence," said Jim Stark, FEMA Gulf Coast Recovery
director.  "Of the 300 buildings that the city owns, we've gone out and
estimated and written project worksheets and obligated funds and the city
has continued to fight us for additional costs that we just feel aren't
eligible." 

New Orleans and St. Bernard aren't alone. Gov. Jindal said Louisiana has
about 4,000 projects in some state of FEMA appeal, another figure that FEMA
disputes. 

"The sum total of these projects total to about a $1.4 billion dollar gap
between what FEMA is offered and what local government, local agencies feel
they are owed," said Jindal. 

According to FEMA, only 31 Louisiana projects are currently being formally
appealed, a whittled-down number after the agency says it already
streamlined the appeals process last year. This week, St. Bernard learned
that FEMA approved a $35 million appeal for debris removal. 

"That $35 million appeal took us, basically, two years to get through," said
Taffaro. 

Many projects haven't even made it to the appeals part of the process, like
St. Bernard's roads. It is why Gov. Jindal is asking Congress for even more
efficiency in the appeals process to get projects moving and to get the
recovery moving forward faster.