Private Contractors and FEMA

The Bush administration also has made significant changes to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), shifting funds away from pre-disaster preparation and implementing policies to promote outsourcing of relief efforts to private companies.

In the summer of 2004, reported the Independent Weekly, FEMA denied Louisiana funding for pre-disaster preparation. Such funding has traditionally paid for items like generators and other necessities for dealing with a storm’s aftermath. Meanwhile, FEMA workers had been warning that the emphasis on cutting costs and farming out tasks to private contractors had the potential to slow response times in emergency situations. Feds Ignored Catastrophe Predictions, Diverted Funds by Jessica Azulay One of the things she says is that FEMA is slow because of reorganization. Should we expect to see a scramble of Bush contributors profiting from this mess? Tried to find out more about the private contractor who will handle the dead, but so far, nothing....not even a name. Is this why volunteers are being turned away? You'd think I was I.F. Stone or a midwest Columbo!!!