Katrina Coverage

From this:
The federal government next month will start requiring local governments to pay a premium if they decide to bypass the U-S Army Corps of Engineers when contracting for hurricane-related debris removal.
Starting November 27th, local authorities who hire their own contractors to remove debris will have to pick up 10 percent of the cost.
Parishes that […]

From Much of Katrina Aid Remains Unspent
Within 10 days of Hurricane Katrina's slamming of the Gulf Coast, President Bush and Congress rushed with rare speed to provide an unprecedented $62.3 billion in disaster aid — twice the annual budget of the entire Homeland Security Department. White House budget director Joshua Bolten predicted the money would […]

Katrina may mean MR-GO has to go
…After massive flooding killed hundreds in St. Bernard Parish, eastern New Orleans and the Lower 9th Ward, there is growing consensus that Katrina's surge was made far worse by the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet, a 76-mile shortcut between the city and the Gulf of Mexico. And while the shipping industry […]

From Bush Adviser Acknowledges Lack of Preparation for Katrina:
…the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said yesterday that its official timeline had discounted eyewitness reports by its top official in New Orleans, Col. Richard Wagenaar, confirming a levee breach Monday night. Instead, the Corps said the break was confirmed at 8 a.m. Tuesday.
"We probably had some […]

From Online NewsHour: Engineers Investigate New Orleans Levee Failures — October 20, 2005 comes a report on what caused the flooding and whether the current repairs are sufficient. Three groups are involved in the report: the Army Corps of Engineers, the National Science Foundation, and the American Society of Civil Engineers. "Dr. Raymond Seed, a […]

Here's a site that appears to have Army Corps of Engineers and related engineering reports for sale (levees, seepage). I don't know if they're available directly from ACE for free. And, the reports go back several years.
From "Performance of Levee Underseepage Controls: A Critical Review" by the ENGINEER RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER VICKSBURG MS […]

From this:
A frustrated New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin warned Thursday that it would be in the state's best interest to help the Crescent City jump-start its Hurricane Katrina-riddled economy, saying the impact on the state — if nothing is done — will pale in comparison to the layoffs the city recently announced.
"You think 3,000 layoffs […]

The LAT article "Lobbyists Shape Gulf Coast Rebuilding" has more on just how much say corporations got in Louisiana's rebuilding plan. Bear in mind, that article is about the state's plan, the one they want $250 billion for. See "Louisiana wants $40 billion; stuffed with pork" for previous coverage.
From the LAT:
…"I was basically shocked," said […]

Speaking before a Senate panel, David Paulison, acting head of FEMA, says they're going to get new bids on $400 million worth of contracts:
"It sure looks, with hindsight, that FEMA would have been in a much better position if it had had a lot of contracts in place that had been bid that were standby […]

Hey, let's counteract some bad publicity and try to look better! Hand me that $12 million over there:
BILOXI, Miss. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has awarded a small business contract worth up to $12 million to a small, disadvantaged Pascagoula business to install blue roofs for FEMA’s Operation Blue Roof program on […]