Like most Americans, I was losing my mind during Katrina Week, watching and waiting, desperate for help to arrive to bring water, food and shelter to the trapped and homeless people. By mid-week, prompted by news of plans to transport people from a dome in New Orleans to a dome in Houston as well as purchasing thousands of trailers, I wrote an e-mail suggestion to Michael Chertoff.
(Make my day and stay with me, okay?)
Given the scale of the devastation, it appeared obvious that thousands of people would need shelter for a long, long time. There had recently been news of many military base closings, and my suggestion to Mr. Chertoff was to transport the victims to these unused facilities. It seemed these bases would provide immediate infrastructure to house large groups of people. Single-family housing, dormitory-style barracks, cafeterias, infirmaries, classrooms, gymnasiums, and chapels would be available, and the victims could recover from their trauma in comfort and privacy until the rebuilding of their homes. At the time, I thought it a splendid short-term solution. When I watched coverage that evening, Jesse Jackson likewise suggested it on national TV.
Alas, who knew that Michael Chertoff does not use e-mail? Or that other enterprising individuals were already capitalizing on this misery. Today, Raw Story provides the text of a letter written by Rep. Henry Waxman to Florida Governor Jeb Bush. Don't grind your teeth when you hear the estimated cost of these temporary accommodations.
On September 2, 2005, Military Sealift Command awarded Carnival Cruise Lines three contracts worth a combined $236 million to provide temporary housing for Hurricane Katrina evacuees. On October 20, I wrote to Secretary Chertoff expressing concerns about the cost of the Carnival Cruise Line contracts. Based on the occupancy of the ships at that time, I estimated that it would cost more than $214,000 to house a family of five for the full six months. Although occupancy levels rose slightly after I wrote to Secretary Chertoff, they fell again at the end of 2005. It now appears that the contracts will cost federal taxpayers almost $240,000 to provide temporary shelter for a family of five.[1] At this price, the federal government could have built permanent homes for the families.
Actually, according to the National Association of Realtors, in January 2006 the median price of a home in the South was only $178,000, far less than the estimated $240,000 for the temporary cruise accommodations.
So why is the Carnival contract so expensive? According to Waxman, the Carnival contract includes compensation "for both the revenues the company would have earned under normal operations and any additional expenses that the company incurs under the contract. This means that the taxpayer is responsible for paying for revenues the company would have received from its casino operations, liquor and drink sales, and on-shore excursions, even though these costs have nothing to do with the primary relief mission."
Ouch! But, hey, these guys are friends, or so Congressman Waxman reminds Governor Bush:
Emails recently provided to Congress by Michael Brown, the former FEMA Director, indicate that you intervened at a key moment to support the efforts of Carnival to win this lucrative federal contract. These emails reveal that you forwarded to Mr. Brown on August 31 an email from Ric Cooper about the Carnival proposal. Mr. Cooper is an advertising executive who represents Carnival. He is also a major political donor to the Florida and national Republican parties. According to the Florida Division of Elections, Mr. Cooper donated $65,000 to the Republican Party of Florida in advance of the 2002 gubernatorial election in which you were running for reelection.[2] In addition, Mr. Cooper contributed $50,000 to the Republican National Committee in advance of the 2004 presidential elections in which your brother was running for reelection.[3]
Maybe Michael Chertoff didn't know how to access my e-mail. And maybe my idea of utilizing the military bases was just plain stupid. But, at least some people on the Gulf Coast would not still be sleeping in tents tonight.
Thanks for reading. And if you're from New Orleans, have a happy Mardi Gras.