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The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

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Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

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Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Slow Going: Where’s the Sandy Relief Money?

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Monday, August 26, 2013   

ROSLYN, N.Y. - Nearly 10 months since Superstorm Sandy barreled into New York, relief aid - from both private donors and government agencies - is slowly and carefully being doled out. There were scandals in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, and as a result, observers have seen a more deliberate pace under way in New York.

From private donations, the Long Island Unmet Needs Fund provides cash assistance and material recovery resources. Marion Conway of the NY Community Bank Foundation sits on the Unmet Needs Roundtable, which has overseen the process.

"The work is really being done; the money is really going out there in a respectful, responsible way," Conway said.

Of some $5.3 million raised by United Way, which includes $2.5 million from the Robin Hood Foundation, United Way spokeswoman Teresa Regnante estimated that $1 million has been spent and another $500,000 has been doled out by the Roundtable. A goal of transparency, she said, dictates considerable amounts of scrutiny and paperwork, and that tends to slow things down.

Regnante noted that in Louisiana, eight years after Katrina, the recovery process is still under way. The slow pace in New York is not troubling to her, she said.

"We on the front end knew this was going to be every bit of a three-year recovery process for Long Island," Regnante said, "and that's probably a low estimate."

The Roundtable has seen new cases arise nearly every day because some storm victims are hesitant to ask for help - for a variety of reasons.

In light of previous mishandling of disaster relief funds in other parts of the country, it's understandable for people to be skeptical and wary about where the money is going, Conway said.

"This isn't our money; somebody donated this. We have a responsibility to them to make sure that it's spent wisely and well. The non-profits are doing an excellent job. As a funder, I'm really proud of them," Conway added.






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