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Why Government Disaster Rebuilds Cost 50 Percent More
When a hurricane or wildfire destroys a community, the federal government steps in with disaster relief. But the rebuilding process is notoriously inefficient, costing taxpayers 50 percent more than comparable private-sector projects. In this episode, Lucas and Luna examine why FEMA's own data shows that post-disaster reconstruction routinely overruns budgets, from temporary housing to infrastructure repair. They drill into specific examples: why a single bridge replacement in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria cost three times the state estimate, how the Stafford Act creates perverse…
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