Reply #463: 9/13 Blanco gives up on FEMA, hires firm herself to recover Louisiana dead

[snot]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4760076
Blanco gives up on FEMA, hires firm herself to recover Louisiana dead

Louisiana Hires Contractor to Help Recover Bodies
Sept. 13 (Bloomberg)

-- Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco said the state hired a contractor to recover bodies left in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, saying she had given up on the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

"In recent days, I have spoken with FEMA and administration officials to convey my absolute frustration regarding the lack of urgency and the lack of respect of our people whose lives were lost as a result of Hurricane Katrina,'' Blanco told reporters in Baton Rouge today during a meeting with state officials.

Blanco said Kenyon International Emergency Services, a Houston-based unit of Service Corp. International that has worked on Asian tsunami recovery effort, will find the corpses left after Katrina roared ashore on the U.S. Gulf Coast Aug. 29. The storm killed thousands, caused an estimated $100 billion in damage and left 80 percent of New Orleans submerged in water....

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Homeland Security Director Michael Chertoff said the agency that runs FEMA created a "system of recovery" a week ago and is responsible for the recovery of bodies, Blanco said, adding that even the highest government officials couldn't "break through the bureaucracy to get the coordination done." She also blamed the agency for not committing enough workers to the effort.

Respect

"I cannot bear to wait any longer," Blanco said today during a meeting with state officials. "In death as in life our people deserve more respect than they have received."...

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000087&sid=addOntqk3YEA&refer=top_world_news

ON EDIT: Re. FEMA's contracting with Kenyon --

Blanco said she has signed a contract with Kenyon International Emergency Services after the company threatened to pull out of the state because it had not yet signed a formal contract with FEMA.

Asked about the issue, FEMA spokesman David Passey said: "From what I understand, Kenyon had some questions about the contract."

http://today.reuters.com/investing/financeArticle.aspx?type=bondsNews&storyID=2005-09-13T184411Z_01_N13577469_RTRIDST_0_KATRINA-DEAD.XML