Monday, July 16, 2007

Our Government at Work


Thousands of pounds of government-owned ice stored in Gloucester in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina are melting - so far costing taxpayers $12.5 million.
A representative from the Federal Emergency Management Agency confirmed yesterday that the ice being held at AmeriCold Logistics on Rogers Street and 22 other facilities like it nationwide is being disposed of by melting it.
The total cost of storing that ice since Katrina has been $12.5 million, according to FEMA.
The ice was originally sent to the hurricane-torn South for use in relief efforts. But in September 2005, truckers from across the nation were hauling ice back north on government order
In 2005, the truckers were earning $2 per mile and $900 per day to transport the ice, and many simply moved ice from one area of the country to the other, never delivering to a disaster site. Including shipping costs, the government paid more than $4 per 5-pound bag of ice purchased during Katrina relief, the Times reported. The same bag could have been purchased locally for about $1.50.
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