Lafourche DA: $5M tube cost should be slashed

Many thought the issue of the $5 million invoice delivered by the U.S. Flood Control for inflatable levees ended last week when FEMA granted the parish funds to cover the bill in its entirety. According to a report given by District Attorney Camille Morvant, however, that may not be the case.

Morvant told the Lafourche Parish Council that they should consider all aspects of the bill and the U.S. Flood Controls billing policy before spending the granted funds.

“There are a couple of things you need to know right now,” Morvant said to the council.

According to Morvant, there was no contract signed by anyone affiliated with the parish and there was never any agreement signed about the terms and conditions, or the price of the inflatable levees for that matter.

Morvant questioned the legitimacy of the invoice because the parish was billed for 500 inflatable levees when only 102 were actually deployed. “The rest of them just sat on their truck and were never used,” he said.

Morvant said that according to a brochure published by the U.S. Flood Control, a rate of $350 would be charged for each day the makeshift levees were “set up.” Only 102 of the 500 levees charged to the parish’s bill were ever “set up,” he said. This would cut the parish’s bill down by one-fifth, saving $4 million in taxpayer money, Morvant added.

“What I am getting at is this,” Morvant said. “We owe the U.S. Flood Control some money for the 102 tubes that we used for the 28 days. I don’t believe we owe these guys $4.9 million that they are asking.”

Before the parish enters any litigation however, Morvant suggested the council obtain a written document from FEMA, thus allowing the parish to keep the funds while the case is being heard.

Morvant asked the council to defer the payment to the U.S. Flood Control if a written agreement from FEMA can be obtained. “Let a judge and jury tell us how much we owe for the 102 tubes that were out there for the 28-day period,” the district attorney said.

Morvant assured the council that his office would handle the case. “If we went to court I feel confident that we would win,” he said.