Future Storm Cleanup May Be Iffy in Louisiana Parish

Contractors that have gone largely unpaid for their work in the cleanup of Livingston Parish, La., after Hurricane Gustav question whether the parish will be able to find companies to clean up after the next storm.

The new parish president tells The Advocate that question is a concern for him, but the chairman of the Parish Council’s Finance Committee said he doesn’t think finding cleanup contractors for future hurricanes will be a problem.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency refused to pay for most of the Gustav cleanup work, maintaining that the work did not fall within federal guidelines.

The parish still owes its contractors $53 million.

Former Parish President Mike Grimmer, who was parish president during the storm and cleanup, said a lot of unnecessary work was done.