Can New Orleans complete $500 million in infrastructure repairs in less than a month? Probably not, and that's why the Moreno administration is working to get FEMA to grant an extension.
New Orleans is nearing the end of a six-month extension it received last December to spend hundreds of millions of dollars it negotiated with FEMA to fix drain pipes and the streets and sidewalks above them.
New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno says without the extension, projects that are underway would be left unfinished, until the city, which is not exactly flush with cash at the moment, finds another half-billion dollars somewhere.
Moreno told WWL's Newell Normand she's looking for whatever help she can get.
"I've had folks who are advocates for the city make calls all the way to the White House. I can tell you that Mrs. (Gayle) Benson has been advocating for this, understanding just how significant this is for the city," Moreno said. "She's looking to have a Super Bowl here in 2031, 2030, something like that, and so obviously she wants those roads looking good for her Super Bowl, but more importantly, just what's best for the city."
The mayor said the stakes are high.
"To not be able to do these repairs, that's half-a-billion dollars I have to find someplace else to try to get these repairs done," she said.
