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Hurricane Katrina and Rita Disaster Relief
Title: Hurricane Katrina and Rita Disaster Relief
Date: December 6, 2006
Author: GAO
Institution: Government Accountability Office
Bibliographic Entry: Staff. “Hurricane Katrina and Rita Disaster Relief.” Washington: GAO, 2006.
Electronic Link: http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d07252t.pdf
Key Words: Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Rita, disaster relief, FEMA, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Individuals and Households Program, IHP, DHS
Summary of Key Points, Issues, Conclusions:
The GAO conducted a study to assess the extent of improper and/or fraudulent payments from Hurricane Katrina and Rita. The report focuses in particular on the Individuals and Households Program (IHP) for providing:
• Rental assistance to individuals already receiving free housing
• Duplicate payments to individuals claiming the same damages for Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita
• Payments to non-U.S. residents who were ineligible to receive funds.
The GAO estimated that $1 billion in improper payments were made by IHP through February 2006. The GAO also discusses fraud prevention and identification and the problems with property accountability of items purchased by FEMA using DHS funds.
Name of Researcher: Lauren Obermeier
Institution: Integrative Center for Homeland Security, Texas A&M University
Date Posted: December 11, 2006