The Hollywood Liberal

New Orleans turns to international aid

Raw Story
Excerpt:
NEW ORLEANS — The cash-strapped city of New Orleans is turning to foreign countries for help to rebuild as federal hurricane-recovery dollars remain slow to flow.
Kenya Smith, director of intergovernmental relations for Mayor Ray Nagin, said city leaders are talking with more than five countries. He wouldn’t identify the countries, saying discussions were in the early stages. But he said the city is “very serious” about pursuing foreign help.

“Of course, we would love to have all the resources we need from federal and state partners, but we’re comfortable now in having to be creative,” Smith said. He did not know if the city would have to overcome any obstacles if it got firm pledges for aid, but “we want to make sure we’re leaving no options unexplored.”

For months Nagin has complained bureaucracy is choking the flow of much-needed federal aid dollars to New Orleans – slowing the city’s recovery. As of June 8, the city said it had received just over half of the $320 million FEMA has obligated for rebuilding city infrastructure and emergency response-related costs. The city has estimated its damage at far more than that – at least $1 billion. And that doesn’t include other improvements – such as raised neighborhoods – meant to help build the stronger city promoted by Nagin and his recovery director

HL’s Take
It’s been almost 2 years and only half the money that was supposed to go to New Orleans has gotten there. That is a disgrace. Bush is the steward of the biggest domestic disaster in US History as well as the biggest foreign policy disaster in US history. It is disgraceful that this much time has passed and parts of New Orleans still look like the hurricane happened yesterday.
If Katrina would have happened when Clinton was President, the whole city would have been rebuilt in less then a year. This is Bush’s way of telling America You’re on your own. Don’t look to us for help when disaster strikes, we are too busy looting Iraq’s oil, and stealing everything that isn’t bolted down.

This entry was posted on Friday, June 15th, 2007 at 8:57 am and is filed under H.L. News, Main Blog (All Posts). You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.