NPR: Much Katrina aid unspent

National Public Radio has a piece today covering the theme of our recent report, Blueprint for Gulf Renewal (pdf) -- that much of the so-called "big check" of $116 billion that Washington leaders say has gone to the Gulf Coast hasn't even been spent. Here's an excerpt:
St. Bernard Parish's government complex is still not repaired. Papers still lie scattered on the floor beneath desks and file cabinets overturned by the storm.

"Two years later, we have yet to start construction or repairs. ... We got into a two-year-long debate with FEMA about how much damage did we have and how much are they going to pay to have the building repaired," says parish Councilman Craig Taffaro.

These lengthy discussions have occurred not only in St. Bernard Parish but in New Orleans and elsewhere along the Gulf Coast. The result is police and firefighters still working out of trailers, sewage systems in disrepair, a deficit of hospital beds and buses. To make matters worse, local governments had been required to put up 10 percent in matching funds for recovery projects - money some of them just didn't have. Congress only recently waived the rule.
You can listen to the full piece here.