NEW ORLEANS, Dec. 19 -- Louisiana lags behind Mississippi in forwarding federal aid to cash-strapped communities after Hurricane Katrina, lending support to complaints by local officials in the New Orleans area that the state is holding up money they need for repairs and rebuilding.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has paid Louisiana about $5.1 billion to reimburse local officials for infrastructure projects after Katrina landed on Aug. 29, 2005, but only 38 percent of that money has reached communities nearly 16 months later, FEMA spokesman Aaron Walker said Tuesday.
A greater percentage of federal dollars has flowed to communities in Mississippi, where the state has distributed just under half of around $2.2 billion that FEMA has paid for repairs to roads and public buildings, debris removal and other projects, Walker said.
Walker said he can't compare how quickly and efficiently the two states are doling out FEMA public assistance money because Hurricane Rita also struck Louisiana about a month after Katrina hit.
