Tropical Storm Irma left cities and counties across Georgia with millions of dollars in damage and tons of debris to haul away.
This looks like a job for the federal government.
Teams of disaster experts with the Federal Emergency Management Agency fanned out across the state this week to survey the damage, the first step in unlocking disaster aid under President Donald Trump’s emergency declaration for the state. The aid will pay the lion’s share in cleaning up the mess made by Irma’s sustained wind and coastal flooding, but accepting it comes with some risks.
Earlier this summer, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Inspector General’s office recommended FEMA attempt to recoup $2 billion in Hurricane Katrina relief given to New Orleans following that 2005 disaster. The report determined the flooding of that city was the result of infrastructure that was “old and in poor condition.”
Beware, Georgia: The accountants are coming. Read more in this week’s AJC Watchdog column here.