FEMA is at it again. Thousands of pounds of ice the Federal Emergency Management Agency has been holding onto since Hurricane Katrina will melt, according to the Associated Press.
The cost of storing the ice since the storm has totaled nearly $12.5 million. FEMA claims it was keeping the surplus ice for the 2006 hurricane season, but there was no need for it because there was little tropical activity this past year. The fact that FEMA has wasted $12.5 million causes is startling, especially when the city of New Orleans is still trying to rebuild.
The wasted $12.5 million could have been used to distribute 168 more Road Home checks to south Louisiana residents.
The average Road Home program award to applicants is $74,416, according to its Web site. But instead of being wise with its money, FEMA has made itself look incompetent once again. Besides the millions of dollars the agency has wasted on this ice problem, another disturbing issue is raised.
The Associated Press reported that FEMA contracts require that ice be melted three months after it has been bought. But why is FEMA deciding nearly two years after Katrina that the ice should be melted now? The agency claimed they decided not to keep the ice for yet another hurricane season because “it couldn’t determine whether it was safe for human consumption.” If FEMA has a rule to dispose of ice three months after purchasing it, what made the agency think the ice would be safe nearly 24 months after it was bought? The recent news illustrating FEMA’s futility is almost comical. If FEMA cannot even handle ice two years after hurricanes Katrina and Rita, how can they handle another potential natural disaster? Let’s hope we never have to find out.