10,000 hotel rooms empty in New Orleans

New Orleans cannot rebuild without workers, and workers cannot come to New Orleans without places to stay. Theoretically, that isn't a problem: There are 10,000 vacant hotel rooms in the city. On behalf of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana, FEMA plans to book long-term leases for the rooms, but the contract has been held up for two weeks by attorneys who are trying to determine if it is legal. There is a federal law that prohibits FEMA from renovating private property, but many of the rooms cannot be inhabited without having some work done on them.

As for the rooms that are ready for use now--FEMA reports that the leases are "moving forward." Apparently, there is concern over the financial scrutiny that FEMA will face after the contract is signed. The first 1,000 rooms will go to essential personnel. The rest will go to workers and evacuees.