Katrina Coverage

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The crowds were small and the costumes wickedly satirical as Mardi Gras reached its boozy climax Tuesday in this hurricane-buckled city that could use a few laughs.
The culmination of the eight-day pre-Lenten bash fell nearly six months to the day after the Aug. 29 storm that smashed thousands of homes and […]

I find this more than a bit unbelievable. However, it is not a SNL skit nor is it the Onion. It's from an actual ABC News interview with Our Leader:
[ELIZABETH VARGAS]: When you look back on those days immediately following when Katrina struck, what moment do you think was the moment that you realized that […]

According to a new poll, only 5% are pleased with the way the rebuilding is going. 26% are "satisfied, but not pleased". 43% are "dissatisfied, but not angry".
And, in the smartie category, 16% are angry.
Their opinion of Bush's handling of the crisis has fallen from 44% in September to just 32%.
Only 15% think Bush has […]

From this:
Flawed government planning for major disasters led to rampant confusion during the slow federal response to Hurricane Katrina, the White House concluded Thursday in a report focusing more on fixing shortfalls before the next storm season than on assigning blame.
The review described poor communications systems, delays in delivering supplies and overall tumult within the […]

I don't necessarily believe any of the 9/11 conspiracy theories, but at the same time they need to be given a fair hearing. Last year, Popular Mechanics offered a 9/11 debunking article that received a lot of attention. Unfortunately, it was written by Ben Chertoff. And, he might just be the cousin of one Michael […]

Way back in September, we offered "Is FEMA overpaying for roofing?".
Now, months later, NOLA has looked into this, specifically the ACE angle. A snippet:
Though Army Corps of Engineers officials say they did not overpay for the tens of thousands of blue roofs [temporary tarps] across the Gulf Coast, a review of their documents shows that […]

WASHINGTON – The Department of Homeland Security has not been able to find any recording of a crucial conference call five hours after Hurricane Katrina made landfall - though it has transcripts of other key discussions recorded in the days before and after the storm struck.
Senate investigators want to know who conferred and what they […]

As has been discussed here a few times already:
Nearly six months after Hurricane Katrina, more than 1,300 bodies have been found, but the real death toll is clearly higher. How much higher, no one can say with any certainty.
Hundreds of people are still unaccounted for, and some of them - again, no one is sure […]

Two California Highway Patrol officers from NoCal are going to be fired for shooting one or more alligators while "helping out" in Louisiana. There's no word on whether they're going to claim they fired in self-defense. In any case, the major issue seems to be that they shot their service weapons without reporting it.

From Auditors Find Huge Fraud in FEMA Aid:
Thousands of applicants for federal emergency relief money after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita used duplicate or invalid Social Security numbers or bogus addresses, suggesting that the $2.3 billion program was a victim of extensive fraud, a Congressional auditor will report Monday.
The examination of the so-called Expedited Assistance program […]