FEMA’s Double Standard

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Secretary of State Al Ater wants to know why the federal government agreed to pay for New York City’s municipal elections after Sept. 11, 2001, but refuses to pay for New Orleans’ elections after Hurricane Katrina.

FEMA recently turned down Louisiana’s request for the extra $3-4 million it will take to hold the April 22 New Orleans municipal elections, rescheduled in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

But the agency shelled out $7.9 million after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks delayed New York City’s elections.

Ater said it’s a double standard.

“After the election, I’m going to dedicate my life to this,” Ater said. “I’m going to become very obsessive-compulsive about it.”

Orleans Parish doesn’t have the money to pay even the normal elections cost of $400,000 for the city. FEMA said the additional elections costs are outside the agency’s authority and U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff has not responded to a request to meet with the secretaries of state of Louisiana, Mississippi or Alabama.

FEMA spokesman Manuel Broussard of Baton Rouge said he would look into the issue, but the agency did not respond. [“FEMA won’t pay for New Orleans Election” (Nola.com)]

Let’s not forget that more than 50% of  Katrina victims are still displaced as well and while displaced Iraqis outside of Iraq were provided poling stations, displaced Katrina victims in places like Houston, Memphis and Atlanta with large concentrations of New Orleans minorities will not have the same courtesy.

tags: vote, FEMA, Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans

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