Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Where did all the money go? How $700 million in Katrina relief money went missing
Yahoo ^ | 04/03/2013 | Jeff Zeleny, Richard Coolidge, and Jordyn Phelps

Posted on 04/03/2013 7:25:20 AM PDT by BradtotheBone

Where did all the money go?

“Your guess is as good as mine,” David Montoya, the inspector general of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, says of $700 million in missing taxpayer money that Louisiana homeowners were given in the wake of Hurricane Katrina to elevate and protect their homes from future storms.

A new report released from the inspector general’s office shows that more than 24,000 homeowners who received grants of up to $30,000 to elevate their homes either misspent or pocketed the money.

“The fact of the matter is that the money they received was for a specific purpose and the specific purpose was to elevate these homes to avoid future catastrophes,” Montoya tells Power Players.

He rates the home elevation program as little more than a complete failure.

“Considering there was just under $1 billion earmarked for this particular program and there's $700 million that wasn't used for that, I’d give it a very low D,” he says.

But the lessons learned from the failed home elevation project provides a useful roadmap as Congress moves to offer recovery funds to victims of Hurricane Sandy.

“Clearly, to give money out on the front end right after a disaster, when many of these people lost everything, with a promise to do something down the road, I think is counterproductive to what the program was designed to do,” says Montoya.

Montoya says his office will recommend that, for future disaster relief programs, funds are disbursed to individuals only after the project has been completed.

(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Government; US: Louisiana
KEYWORDS: cultureofcorruption; fema; katrina; katrinamoney; katrinarelief

1 posted on 04/03/2013 7:25:20 AM PDT by BradtotheBone
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: BradtotheBone

Ray Nagin’s freezer?


2 posted on 04/03/2013 7:26:39 AM PDT by TurboZamboni (Marx smelled bad & lived with his parents most his life.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: BradtotheBone

sad thing is the conservative/blue collar people of Staten Island would be smart with the money they are given to further secure their homes from future storms...but like everything else they’ll have to pay the price due to the “gimme, gimme” attitude of the generational welfare recipient from new orleans who voted for obama....


3 posted on 04/03/2013 7:31:58 AM PDT by God luvs America (63.5 million pay no income tax and vote for DemoKrats...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: BradtotheBone

It sounds like 30% of the money was used as intended. 30% was a failing score at all places I have been.


4 posted on 04/03/2013 7:32:15 AM PDT by mountainlion (Live well for those that did not make it back.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: BradtotheBone

The purpose of the program was to buy votes. I’m sure that it worked quite well from that perspective.


5 posted on 04/03/2013 7:32:33 AM PDT by centurion316
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: BradtotheBone

"Do I even need to say it?"

6 posted on 04/03/2013 7:33:18 AM PDT by dfwgator
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: BradtotheBone

Hey, if it’s good enough for Iraq...


7 posted on 04/03/2013 7:35:07 AM PDT by Wolfie
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: BradtotheBone

I imagine many of those people used that money to survive after losing their jobs and their work places.

But this is representative of how incredibly ignorant and wasteful Uncle Sap is with our money.


8 posted on 04/03/2013 7:35:35 AM PDT by OrangeHoof (Our economy won't heal until one particular black man is unemployed.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: mountainlion
30% was a failing score at all places I have been.

Haven't you heard? 30% is the new line for a D. (See the Atlanta School System)

9 posted on 04/03/2013 7:42:23 AM PDT by JohnG45
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: BradtotheBone

10 posted on 04/03/2013 8:22:27 AM PDT by Jeff Chandler (People are idiots.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: centurion316
The purpose of the program was to buy votes.

It was protection money.

11 posted on 04/03/2013 8:24:13 AM PDT by Jeff Chandler (People are idiots.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: BradtotheBone

You prosecute.


12 posted on 04/03/2013 8:26:33 AM PDT by ImJustAnotherOkie (zerogottago)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: BradtotheBone
"But the lessons learned from the failed home elevation project provides a useful roadmap as Congress moves to offer recovery funds to victims of Hurricane Sandy."

Congress has been in existence for over 200 years.

They are just now learning a lesson?

No. They learned the lesson 200 years ago: free money from taxpayers can be used to bribe people for votes.

13 posted on 04/03/2013 8:38:52 AM PDT by who_would_fardels_bear
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: TurboZamboni
Ray Nagin’s freezer?

Following the disaster Nagin moved his family to Dallas and put his kids in school there.

Maybe someone could find out what digs he was able to get on his mayoral allowance.

14 posted on 04/03/2013 8:46:23 AM PDT by Slyfox (The Key to Marxism is Medicine ~ Vladimir Lenin)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: BradtotheBone
Any time there is a half dozen politicians involved with a sum of money-it’s a sure bet most of it is going to wind up missing.
15 posted on 04/03/2013 8:54:28 AM PDT by skimbell
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: skimbell

Aren’t there any forensic accountants anymore? Aren’t there any District Prosecuting Attorneys? Aren’t there ledgers? Aren’t there requirements for someone along the way to sign-off on disbursements? Insane corruption.


16 posted on 04/03/2013 8:56:55 AM PDT by hal ogen (First Amendment or Reeducation Camp?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: BradtotheBone

Where did all the money go?...Indeed!...What a 10 mile high pile of bile...


17 posted on 04/03/2013 9:40:08 AM PDT by AngelesCrestHighway
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson