Hurricane Katrina wreaked death and destruction from Texas to Florida nine years ago, but government investigators are still checking up on how federal recovery and reconstruction funds were spent.
In the case of $87.7 million in grants given by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to Hancock County, Miss., most of the FEMA funds were spent properly, according to a government watchdog report.
But the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General said in a report made public Friday that about $3.6 million of the grants weren’t needed by local authorities and should be put to better use by FEMA somewhere else.
There were, however, a few problems with how Mississippi officials spent $1.4 million, including:
• $1,123,884 in contract costs that did not comply with federal procurement requirements.
• $67,472 in costs that were already covered by private insurance companies.
• $56,248 in ineligible project costs.
• $46,673 in costs that were already paid for by grant administrative allowances.
• $36,660 in unauthorized project costs.
Hancock County is the southernmost county in Mississippi and is home to NASA‘s largest rocket engine testing facility.
The eye of Hurricane Katrina was directly over the county when the monster storm made landfall.
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Mark Tapscott is executive editor of the Washington Examiner.
