May 23, 2007

News Articles

Rural wells may be in danger
Rural residents of the Gulf Coast face a looming public health problem: contaminated drinking water. Mississippi Valley State University's Louis Hall, speaking to the House Gulf Coast Recovery & Rebuilding Caucus, said contaminants from hastily-disposed-of hurricane debris could pose a serious health problem for rural communities, reports The (Biloxi) Sun Herald. Because much of the debris from hurricane recovery efforts was simply thrown into landfills, Hall said, he's concerned that toxic chemicals could filter into the water table, posing a much greater risk to residences using wells than those on public water supplies.

See Sun Herald article

Deaths of 35 patients are blamed on corps
A state judge said Tuesday that he is "leaning heavily" toward allowing the owners of a St. Bernard Parish, La. nursing home where 35 residents drowned during Hurricane Katrina to present evidence at their negligent-homicide trial that the government was responsible for the deaths. Such a ruling would be a significant victory for Salvador and Mabel Mangano, whose attorneys have said the crux of their defense will be to link the deaths to failed levees and a haphazard government-run evacuation plan that left thousands of New Orleans area residents in harm's way, reports The Times-Picayune.

See Times-Picayune article

Utilities, insurers prepare for storms
Forecasts for a busier-than-normal hurricane season mean added pressure on the utility and insurance industries, but they say they're more prepared to absorb a catastrophic hit, reports The Associated Press. Power utilities have invested in hardier equipment to better withstand storms, gas utilities have formed a resource-sharing plan that quickly sends reinforcements, and insurers have more cushion to absorb losses after reporting record operating profits in 2006. They say they've learned from the ravages of Hurricane Katrina and the 2005 hurricane season, which caused tens of billions of dollars in damage.

See Associated Press article

State superintendent believes city will have enough classrooms
Citing scaled-back enrollment projections and intensified work at New Orleans schools, Louisiana Superintendent of Education Paul Pastorek believes the Recovery School District will have enough space for students at the start of the 2007-08 school year, reports The Times-Picayune. A new analysis indicates public schools will see 6,000 to 7,000 new students this fall, about half the 13,000 additional students previously projected. Pastorek said he believes the system can provide enough classroom space through a combination of renovated buildings and modular campuses.

See Times-Picayune article

Government Data

Federal Procurement Data System
The Federal Procurement Data System posted its latest information on hurricane-related contract awards. The system has been updated to include Defense Department and FEMA contracts. The total spent on post-Katrina contracts as of May 23 stands at $15.5 billion.

FPDS Katrina contracts