Saturday Katrina miscellany

- The National Low Income Housing Coalition has a useful side-by-side presentation of the new KDHAP voucher program for displaced households and FEMA's more routine Individuals and Households Program assistance. It would probably be helpful to read this alongside the housing disaster relief PowerPoint presentation that HUD released a few days ago.
- Just noticed Slide 51 in the PowerPoint presentation: "For Public Exigency or Emergency, 24 CFR 85.36 permits PHAs to procure from a single source through non-competitive proposals."
- About that HUD/FEMA rent payment plan: it doesn't help much with San Francisco housing costs.
- New IRS Katrina/Rita tax relief: nothing housing-specific, but some extended deadlines and other assistance.
- Building material prices are up due to the hurricanes. Plywood and steel up in California... lumber and drywall up in Indiana... delays and surcharges in Florida...
- Nasty Louisiana budget numbers in Congressional testimony.
- Thousands are back in New Orleans again.
- Knight Ridder reports critically on prices the government is paying contractors to cover damaged roofs. [UPDATE: This version of the story may be easier to access.... More contracting concerns, including over temporary housing.]