The Federal Emergency Management Agency claims that only $1 billion of the $4.5 billion allotted for projects down in Louisiana and Mississippi has been used.
According to USA Today, the money is supposed to go to the states which turn it over to local governments for rebuilding.
Part of the trouble is that some of the money is in the form of matching grants - and the towns can't come up with the funding, explained "Scout Prime," a blogger at First Draft who has made numerous trips to the Gulf since Katrina to lend a hand and to document what the heck is - and isn't - happening.
"There's progress being made but it's slow, and there is so much to do," said Scout. "A lot of people are working hard, but there is an awful lot to be dealt with, not just in New Orleans and the rest of Louisiana, but in Mississippi, too," she said.
Remember that as Mardi Gras season approaches.
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The grant match had been a problem for about 2 years. Congress finally waived it recently.