WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 (UPI) -- A U.S. officials said a Greek offer of the free use of cruise ships to house displaced hurricane victims came after a deal had been cut with a private company.
The federal government reached a $236 million deal with Carnival Cruise Lines to provide ships to house thousands of people whose homes were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.
The Washington Post this week said the ships were about half full, but a Federal Emergency Management Agency official told the Chicago Tribune the vessels were nearing capacity.
Sens. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., and Barack Obama, D-Ill., sent a letter Thursday to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff asking about use of the ships.
"Even if the Carnival contract were a good one -- and it almost certainly is not -- it is inexplicable why FEMA would fail to implement the Greek government's offer of free cruise ships."
FEMA spokesman Butch Kinerney told the Tribune the agreement with Carnival was reached before the Greek offer and even then the Greek government could not guarantee how quickly any ships would be available.
