FEMA’s authorized overbilling by insurance companies is something I have seen next to nothing about in the press and media. Yet when FEMA announced it is trying to reclaim $485 million that was overpaid to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita victims it is news. And just what does FEMA’s offensive look like for hurricane victims? This from Oyster… Occasionally I help out one of my tenants with his FEMA rental assistance forms (he’s illiterate). The other day, I had to tell him that the most recent FEMA letter he received stated that he must give back $10k in assistance he received … Continue reading FEMA Offensive

Sheesh! Go read the wonderful Dangerblond hereand here on the freaking inane discovery questions in Katrina insurance cases. Continue reading Just hand me the battery cables and I’ll torture myself OK?

Last week during a committee oversight hearing Rep Gene Taylor (D-MS) revealed a meeting that occured on September 7th 2005 where apparently David Maurstad, the director of the National Flood Insurance Program, met with approximately 300 representatives of the insurance industry. In that meeting Maurstad “outlined the National Flood Insurance Program’s attitude towards the whole wind vs. water” issue of Katrina claims. (partial transcript & video here) There are now allegations that this set in motion the insurance companies overbilling of the NFIP while minimizing their own costs–in other words taxpayers subsidized the insurance companies’ hurricane claims. It is interesting … Continue reading McClellan had been asked if feds were working with insurance industry on flood claims

Oyster informs us that Sarah Ferguson the Duchess of York was in New Orleans to raise money for local Ronald McDonald charities. According to the Times Picayune Fergie “vowed to call Gov. Kathleen Blanco to voice her concerns about the sluggish pace of Road Home grants.” Regarding this Oyster writes… …but I do know that she called Blanco’s Road Home program and they didn’t believe it was really Fergie and hung up on her. OK I may be critical of the Road Home program but on this one I am sympathetic because I have been there…embarrassingly so. Back in ’04, … Continue reading Oh yeah right I bet you are!

Well well look at what that controversial FEMA memo to insurance companies on expediting Katrina insurance claims said… “FEMA will not seek reimbursement from the company when a subsequent review identifies overpayments resulting from the company’s proper use of FEMA depth data and a reasonable method of developing square foot value in concluding claims.” As the Times Picayune points out the memo says “when” not “if.” As Bob Hunter director of the insurance program at the Consumer Federation of America said…”That’s a blank check, isn’t it?”  It appears the insurance companies developed the procedures outlined in the memo… Until now, … Continue reading FEMA memo may have authorized insurance overbilling

OK this preliminary GAO report’s findings are really quite astounding. The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) which is administered by FEMA does not collect the data necessary to know if the $16.2 Billion it paid out for flood claims related to Hurricanes Rita and Katrina is what it was obligated to pay. Some background info to keep in mind. Homeowners obtain flood insurance through the NFIP because private insurers rarely cover it. But private insurers sell and service the flood insurance policies for the NFIP. Those insurers known as WYOs (Write Your Own) keep a portion of the premiuim for … Continue reading Scout’s Obsession with the GAO: Feds don’t know what they’re paying for

Last month Iposted on alleged fraud by insurance companies in passing the cost of claims onto the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). That post contained info on an NFIP memo instructing companies on the flood vs wind issue, specifically to go ahead and pay for flood damage. Experts believe it opened the door to the alleged fraud by sending the message that the federal treasury was the companies’s “cookie jar.” Now Rep. Gene Taylor (D-MS) has asked a joint oversight subcommitte investigating NFIP and issues exposed by the 2005 hurricanes to “subpoena records of a September 7, 2005 meeting between … Continue reading Taylor calls for subpoenas related to insurance companies’ Katrina fraud

Go to Oyster’s place This is life in New Orleans. UPDATE:Click comments below and read lb0313’s about Robin Malta (mentioned in Oyster’s post) who was found murdered in his Marigny home. Continue reading In NOLA

…Ashley’s idea that is Continue reading I like it…

Anderson Cooper was in New Orleans last night as part of CNN’s “Keeping them Honest.” They did pieces on the levees and pumps, the apparent suicide of one of the NOPD officers involved in a widely publicized post-K police brutality case, the 100 unclaimed remains of Katrina victims still waiting in a NOLA warehouse for burial, crime in NOLA and a piece on FEMA trailers returned to that agency, vandalized and “trashed.” I’ve seen the FEMA trailer story repeated twice this morning. Now I do commend Cooper and CNN for returning to NOLA. So it is hard to be critical. … Continue reading Where is the perspective?

OK that banner wasn’t really there at the -building trust is top priority- press conference of General Van Antwerp, commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. But it may as well have been. Read on… Beginning with what Oyster says for the overview… In a blockbuster post, Matt McBride outlines his initial impressions about the Army Corps of Engineers’ internal investigation on the floodgate pumps. In short, New Orleanians are at risk because the pumps haven’t been fixed properly. Please read the whole thing; it’s mega-important. Then on to the post by Matt at Fix the Pumps for details. … Continue reading Army Corps of Engineers Report: New Orleans Pumps still have mechanical flaws; also found contract improprieties

On Saturday Iposted an article regarding national security experts’ warning of a crisis in national security come the 2009 transition because DHS is so heavily stacked with political appointees. However we don’t have to wait until 2009 to see the problem of the first and second tier of DHS being run by Bush loyalists. On Monday Keith Olberman interviewed Michael Boyd an Aviation Security Consultant regarding the JFK terror plot. Boyd characterized the plot as “just nuts” but he focused primarily on the point of political appointees running national security agencies and the effects of that now. Here are some … Continue reading Political Appointees… without a (new) Plan or a Clue

Back in April we learned the extent to which the federal government dropped the ball on nearly $1 billion of foreign aid for the Gulf Coast. Now the city of New Orleans may try to pick up the ball… “We are trying to go around the federal government,” said Nagin. “We are trying to contact foreign governments directly to see if we can get some of those dollars coming here.” City Council Vice-President Oliver Thomas introduced a resolution at a recent council meeting to have the city start contacting the countries. “Is the offer still on the table?” Thomas said … Continue reading New Orleans may try to get pledged foreign aid that feds failed to collect

Dangerblond points to Tim’s post on the demolition of Cabrini Church in Gentilly and notes …”This makes me very sad, and I’m not even sure why. I usually don’t give a minute’s thought to what the Catholic Church does with their vast property holdings all over the world.” Neither do I. But if you read Tim’s post and view the photos, the sadness of this one event among so many in New Orleans does hit you. There are the many people gathering at the side of the road to watch as the church with the broken dangling cross atop its … Continue reading And if it were you…

One would think this should be a DoJ case given it involves alleged widespread fradulent practices by the insurance industry in response to Katrina claims which resulted in taxpayers, via the National Flood Insurance Program, picking up a chunk of the industry’s tab. Also note the NFIP went bankrupt and insurance companies posted record revenues and profits post Katrina. From The Times Picayune… The federal judge who unsealed a whistle-blower case last month about insurance companies allegedly overbilling the National Flood Insurance Program is demanding that the U.S. Department of Justice get involved in the case or explain itself. The … Continue reading Federal Judge Orders Dept of Justice to Enter in Insurance Companies Katrtina Fraud Case or Show Cause

Dan Baum has been living in New Orleans and blogging at The New Yorker on his experiences. He has just left the city and here is part of his last New Orleans experience post… “Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans?” an old song asks; another reminds us, “You don’t know what you got ’til it’s gone.” Since Katrina, I’ve often been asked (though never by someone in New Orleans) why the country should bother rebuilding it. Is it really worth the billions it would take to protect this small, poor, economically inessential city, which is sinking … Continue reading Do You Know What it Means to Miss New Orleans…

Govexec.com reports that former officials and national security experts are warning of a crisis in national security come the 2009 transition in administrations. The concern is because the Bush administration has so heavily stacked DHS with political appointees that they “run the first- and second-tier layers across almost all of the Department of Homeland Security’s units.” DHS has more political appointees (360) in such positions than the 2 largest of government departments–Defense Department which has 283 and Veterans Affairs with only 64. Experts believe there will be a lack of career officials to keep the department running as Bush’s appointees … Continue reading Experts: National Security crisis looms for 2009 admin transition because Dept of Homeland Security so heavily stacked with political appointees