Disaster Recovery: FEMA's Public Assistance Grant Program Experienced Challenges with Gulf Coast Rebuilding Page: 6 of 61
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information on the experiences of state and local officials involved in the
implementation of the PA program, we interviewed more than 60 state and
local officials from eight localities in Louisiana and Mississippi. These two
states were most affected by the 2005 Gulf Coast hurricanes and were the
focus of our review.' We interviewed and obtained information from key
state grantees and local applicants who had knowledge of, experience
with, or a leadership role in the PA program in these two states. For more
information on our scope and methodology see appendix I. We conducted
this performance audit from August 2007 through November 2008 in
accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. Those
standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain sufficient,
appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for our findings and
conclusions based on our audit objectives. We believe that the evidence
obtained provides a reasonable basis for our findings and conclusions
based on our audit objectives.Results in Brief
Due to the massive size and unprecedented scope of the devastation
caused by the 2005 Gulf Coast hurricanes, federal funding for PA grants is
already more than $11 billion, surpassing that of any previous disaster. The
final cost will likely exceed FEMA's estimate of $13.2 billion because this
figure does not reflect additional projects that have yet to be approved,
and the final cost for projects already approved may be higher than the
agency's initial estimates. Moreover, the true cost of the PA program in the
Gulf Coast is unknown since FEMA does not track its administrative
expenses by program, and these costs are likely to be significant. The vast
majority of PA funding made available to the Gulf Coast states has gone to
Louisiana and Mississippi, and most of this has been dedicated to large
rebuilding projects. To date, about half of all funds provided to these two
states have been passed along to local entities. One reason for this is that
the state often reimburses local entities for large rebuilding projects after
work is performed, which can take many years to complete. Another is
that, at times, the funding process has been slowed because of challenges
in developing projects, sharing information, and making decisions
regarding project approvals and appeals discussed below. Finally, as is the
case with overall cost, the number of PA projects in the Gulf Coast is also
very large. However, we found the way FEMA reports on this specific
'For purposes of this report, "the 2005 Gulf Coast hurricanes" refers to Hurricanes Katrina
and Rita. Additionally, in this report, "Gulf Coast" refers to the states of Alabama,
Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas, but does not include Florida.GAO-09-129 Public Assistance in the Gulf Coast
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United States. Government Accountability Office. Disaster Recovery: FEMA's Public Assistance Grant Program Experienced Challenges with Gulf Coast Rebuilding, report, December 18, 2008; Washington D.C.. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc301747/m1/6/: accessed March 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.