FEMA Acts like Halliburton With Excessive Disaster Expenses

Halliburton made a bad name for itself with some extremely high expenses related to the reconstruction in Iraq. Yet little has been done about this so far despite so much evidence presented of excessive profiteering in some expenses paid for by the federal government. Now FEMA is folowing in the same bad footsteps of wasting vital disaster funds with excessively inflated tree removal services contracting.

FEMA is paying up to $18,000 a day to some companies in New Orleans who simply remove a tree that has fallen against a house rooftop, and then put up a blue tarp, but offer no real roof repairs. And private companies have been charging up to $7,000 for simply removing a tree that has fallen against a roof of a home, and putting up a blue tarp without any actual roof repairs as well. All of this means that terrible profiteering is eating away disaster funds that could provide other vitally needed services.

Of note should be that Operation Blessing, the charity organization founded by Rev. Pat Robertson is also offering tree removal and free blue tarp services to homeowners in New Orleans. There is no charge for this service. It is as much as $7,000 cheaper than what some homeowners are now paying and as much as $18,000 cheaper per day than what FEMA is paying.

Many of the the first and best responders to the Katrina disaster have been charities such as religious run organizations such as the Salvation Army, Feed The Children and Operation Blessing. And again, just like Iraq, many of the worst most expensive Katrina disaster costs can be laid at the feet of a few contractors who gouge the system for all they can take from it. Such is life.