Another $51.8 billion in emergency federal aid is heading for Louisiana and other Gulf Coast areas slammed by Hurricane Katrina. The large infusion of funds will be welcome, but its far from the end of federal spending needed to clean up and rebuild from the storms widespread rampage.
"My expectation is that we will, in fact, need substantially more than the $51.8 billion...but this at least puts everybody on very solid footing to perform their tasks in the several weeks ahead," Office of Management and Budget Director Joshua B. Bolten told reporters Sept. 7.