No time like the present
USA Today reported this month that close to $4.0 billion in federal government rebuilding aid committed in response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita has not been spent more than three years after the disaster. The result is that thousands of projects across the Gulf Coast remain incomplete. The aid, part of a massive recovery effort funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, was intended to repair or replace public works destroyed by the hurricanes. Congress has called FEMA to account for the unspent funds, but the lesson bears repeating: don’t depend on the government for disaster aid. You will be disappointed. Focus your efforts on what is within the scope of your control, such as savings and insurance.