Could have partied, visited the Carribean and SAVED money!
FEMA made hasty $236 million deal with cruise line during Katrina crisis / 3 ships now sit half empty in river and Mobile Bay Without comment.
To critics, the price is exorbitant. If the ships were at capacity, with 7,116 evacuees, for six months, the price per evacuee would total $1,275 a week, according to calculations by aides to Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla. A seven-day western Caribbean cruise out of Galveston can be had for $599 a person — and that would include entertainment and the cost of actually making the ship move.
Jesus. What kinda’ business men we got in our government, what a dumb deal? Had that been my employee there would have been hell to pay… it’s time for a revolution, if not a financial one…
I bet they’re not getting typical cruise ship meals, and the better cabins are barred also. I’m sure they’re serving typical cheap buffet lines; meat loaf and macaroni and cheese. Not that’s anythings wrong with that food, but a bit low fare for $1400 a week.
Well, all these FEMA management will probably get free cruise for life….
These guys in FEMA pay for this “service” for the refugees and don’t even bother to use it. That makes no sense, plus I’m out a vacation in January since they took our boat for this fiasco.
What do you expect for a government that pays hundreds of dollars for a standard hammer?
We should all find something to sell to the government.
That sounds like fraud. The Republican Navy.
Most people are being smart and refusing to be lodged on the ships, Would you like to be assigned to live in a micro cabin for months? If you have ever been on a cruise, you know what i mean… it’s good for a few nights, but would you want to live in one of those rooms long term? They are about the size of a jail cell, just prettier.
I can understand the thought process behind getting a few 1000 rooms quickly available at the site. But what they need to do now is move all federal and state government employees out of whatever ‘real’ quarters they are occupying, move them onto the ships, and move the real displaced locals into ‘real’ temporary quarters (aka “hotel rooms”). In other words, if you are getting paid to be in New Orleans right now, you get to live on the “Xtasy”.
Martin –
That’s two racist, bigotted jokes that you have made in a row – the lumpia platter and the people of New Orleans. I certainly hope that this is not what you are like in real life, because if you are, it really very sad. Let me guess, you are a fan of the Michael Savage radio show, right? You certainly have the same sick perspective. He is a clear example of how evil can lead the weak minded into behaving in ways that any god would condemn.
Coburn and Obama disagreed. “Finding out after the fact that we’re spending taxpayer money on no-bid contracts and sweetheart deals for cruise lines is no way to run a recovery effort,” they said in the statement.
Can we make up our minds? “FEMA was too slow” seems to be the common mantra, now they worked too fast? In disaster situations, there isn’t time to call everyone for bids. The same people that would have to do that are probably the same people that had to find cruise ships for housing probably had a lot of other stuff to handle. Bidding takes time, precious time when you got people to think about.
Also, these aren’t customers probably aren’t tipping and paying for the extras, so the cost might even be nearly the same.
Not suprising considering this post made by the brave folks at the only data center that remained open in new orleans through katrina and after;
Post by Sigmund Solares
Chief Executive Officer
Intercosmos Media Group, Inc.
300% of “Rack Rate” a Night for Hotel Rooms at the W
I tried in vain to obtain a hotel room for an employee downtown so that the employee would not have to sleep on an air mattress every night. It turns out that FEMA has rented the 190 available rooms from the W hotel by paying 300% of “rack rate.” Rack rate is the ordinary price for a hotel room without any discounts. This is the standard rate that a hotel will quote you when you ask for a room.
Let’s make some assumptions here… I am assuming that rack rate for the W in New Orleans this time of year is at least $200 a night since the convention season has already started. That would put the rooms at $600 a night per room. That comes out to $114,000 per day for 190 rooms at $600 a day each. With costs like this I can see how rebuilding New Orleans will be insanely expensive. I would imagine that the rates should come down some in the not too distant future, but, I am not holding my breath. Assuming a rack rate of $251 and the cost would be $1 million a week for 190 rooms.
Anyone know of any good deals on hotel rooms in downtown New Orleans? Any word on when additional hotels will be back in action?
Source; http://www.livejournal.com/users/interdictor/75884.html
the hurrican was not preventable, but the levee break was.
So, what other preventive measures are being neglected by this administration?
>>the hurrican was not preventable, but the levee break was.
So, what other preventive measures are being neglected by this administration?
Meetsy,
I’ll say it again… This bird flu is a threat that could kill far more than 911 or Katrina. Far far more.
And I have no confidence in this administration’s preparations for it. Have they learned ANYTHING from the flu shot shortage last year?
I know that some adminstration officials have attended some conferences and whatever. But we need some serious action… like developing a flu shot and then giving it to the whole population.
GregA, Oh I am right on the Bird Flu bandwagon with you….and, I’m a bit concerned about the newest development in dengue fever. It’s turned the corner and become URBANIZED. The Asian news is all a titter about it, but very little stateside.
“THE world is seeing an explosion in dengue infections as the virus-carrying Aedes mosquito adapts to cities and grows immune to old methods of population control.
“It’s a global pandemic,” said Dr Duane Gubler of the Asia-Pacific Institute of Tropical Diseases in Hawaii. “It’s quite clear that the disease has evolved. There just is more dengue in the world.”
Dengue causes severe joint pain, high fever, nausea and a rash. It can lead to internal bleeding. There is no cure or vaccine. ”
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/171227/1/.html
http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=2023212005
We’re spending all our money on a war that no-one seems to be able to fathom….and neglecting the real threat to the worlds population: disease.