Hurricanes

A RICO suit in US Federal Court against Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corporation leaves the door open for further defendants. In addition to board members and executives the complaint lists unidentified parties for further inclusion. More from the Associated Press.

The Advocate reports that FEMA responded to an information request by the newspaper with a $210,000 bill. In September of last year, the Advocate requested a series of documents detailing contracts issued after the hurricanes. FEMA responded with a letter explaining the charge for the information. In the letter, a FEMA attorney wrote “The first 100 pages are free. The duplication cost for 2,099,900 pages will be $0.10 per page for photocopying.” Read more

Federal Judge Stanwood Duval has ruled that the U. S. Corps of Engineers is protected from such lawsuits by an eighty-year-old Federal law. Despite the decision, Duval’s ruling was not exactly kind to the Corps.

Millions of dollars were squandered in building a levee system … which was known to be inadequate by the Corps’ own calculations.

So apparently, while the Corps may be responsible, they are not liable.

Charlie Melancon:

Pushes for a new model for Gulf Coast recovery and gets noticed in this San Francisco Bay View article that demands presidential candidates make the Gulf South a national issue.

Explains how federal funds will heat homes of those in need this winter.

Got his ticket in his hand and gone to the Mardi Gras.

Also: Treen’s done with CD - 1.

From the Times-Picayune: The Army Corps of Engineers may recommend a voluntary buyout of properties south of Louisiana 22.

Landrieu:

“It’s long past time to stop playing bureaucratic financial games and start turning dirt,” Landrieu, D-La., said in a statement. “Comprehensive 100-year flood protection is too crucial for us to wait any longer.”

See the rest of the article here.