In the wake of the 2005 Hurricane disasters over $120 billion in additional federal resources have been targeted for the Gulf Coast region, with 85% going to Louisiana and Mississippi. This is over and above normal annual allocations for programs like CDBG, Section 8 vouchers, Rural Development Community Facilities and Housing, and the Army Corps’ Civil Works Programs. While Baton Rouge and Jackson have made the macro plans for use of federal dollars, the recovery programs require that the applicants for funds be counties or cities in affected areas. Hence, the first stop of those entities seriously interested in being part of the effort is the Gulf, rather than Baton Rouge or Jackson or Washington, DC. Once the money leaves Washington, DC the deals are being made on the ground in the Gulf States, not in DC.