Army Corps gets billions in Katrina claims

WASHINGTON, April 9 (UPI) -- New Orleans, the state of Louisiana and thousands of homeowners are demanding the U.S. government pay billions in damages resulting from Hurricane Katrina.

Among the 70,000 claims filed against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was a $200 billion claim from Louisiana and a $77 billion claim from New Orleans, USA Today reported.

Just those two claims more than double the $110 billion Congress set aside for all of the Gulf Coast cleanup after Katrina and two other 2005 hurricanes.

Homeowners could seek another $200 billion, said a lawyer who is trying to organize a class-action suit against the corps.

"Just looking at the place, it's clear that there's tremendous damage," Jerrold Parker told USA Today. "The fact is, everyone knew the protections were inadequate."

Louisiana's claim blames the corps for the inadequacy of the levees in New Orleans and for failing to close a shipping channel during Katrina. The corps has said the levees weren't solely its responsibility and that the shipping channel didn't contribute to Katrina's devastation.

It will take years to work through the claims, the newspaper said.