<p>They yelled and screamed for help but they can’t help themselves from their own incompetence.</p>
<p>[Most</a> of $4.5B in Gulf Coast aid unspent - USATODAY.com](<a href=“http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-01-10-gulfcoast-funds_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip]Most”>http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-01-10-gulfcoast-funds_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip)</p>
<p>Can’t speak to NOLA specifically, but in little Bayou LaBatre it has been a nightmare. First huge delay was getting the flood maps redrawn - that took months. Then once they were redrawn, lots of poor people are left with houses that they can’t afford to fix even with grants. Many don’t want to raise their homes, some have made makeshift repairs that now have to be torn out. It is a mess.
Some is federal bureaucratic red tape, some is the town’s desire to remain a town, ie reluctance to condemn properties that probably should not be rebuilt unless they can be raised, some is people’s ignorance and sheer cussedness.</p>
<p>I would like to see the Bayou left as it - fighting gentrification is a big part of this - but if that happens people will return to poor housing, and can’t get and probably don’t deserve insurance.</p>
<p>Having personal experience dealing with FEMA (both on the Federal and State level) - I can tell you that it is a MAJOR undertaking to receive flood damage reimbursement. First you must file much paperwork, get insurance coverage estimates, then repair estimates, then approval by FEMA for what may eligible for reimbursement, then you must raise the money to make all repairs, make the repairs, get FEMA to review all repairs and agree with the original estimates, then file more paperwork, then wait for money. It’s a horrendous process and it is not made much better if you have money to also pay for consultants to help. It’s a little disingenuous to blame the overwhelmed localities that they haven’t gotten all their money.</p>
<p>No, but it is unfair to expect FEMA not to follow procedures to prevent public fraud etc that are shall we say, not unknown in the NOLA and LA area. You just don’t write blank checks to people like the Mayor of NOLA.</p>
<p>I agree that there should be procedures to prevent public fraud - however, it is unfair to imply that the flood damaged regions are just flagrantly ignoring all the largess the government claims it is so desperately trying to give to them. It is not that easy or quick to take advantage of it. It requires enormous expertise and patience.</p>