This 'outsourcing' of FEMA disaster planning and the busing from Superdome is part of the 'delay' factor that resulted in three days in the Superdome hellonearth
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=4682347Outsourcing of bus contracts took a long time and, in addition, school buses, as Newsweek's photo afterwards showed the school buses that did rescue the stranded being UNLOADED on a Louisiana highway and reloading those stranded to be taken to parts unknown. Those charter buses came from as far away as OH, KY, and WI...all under contracts that were negotiated AFTER the hurricane hit.
http://www.ieminc.com/Whats_New/Press_Releases/pressrelease060304_Catastrophic.htm