Katrina Victims Still Waiting for Aid

Despite the millions of dollars that have been set aside to help victims of Hurricane Katrina rebuild, "tens of thousands of homeowners are still waiting for their government rebuilding checks, and many complain they can't even get their calls returned." However, the AP reports that ICF International, the company charged with distributing $7.5 billion in federal relief money, "has posted strong profits, gone public, landed additional multimillion-dollar government contracts -- and recently secured a potentially big raise from the state of Louisiana." ICF works with Road Home, a state-run, federally-funded program to compensate homeowners. "As of last month, 56,000 applicants -- nearly 40% of the qualified total -- had yet to receive a cent. Plagued by cost overruns and delays, Road Home is expected to cost federal taxpayers $10 billion and has become a glaring symbol of frustration in post-Katrina New Orleans." Yet ICF remains in the government's good graces: just this week, the Environmental Protection Agency awarded the company a $42 million contract "to support its clean air markets division." [MORE]