Winning recovery disaster in itself: Corruption, inertia in absence of oversight, leadership have engulfed flood relief efforts

It’s a given that winning the peace is way harder than winning a war.
The  post-war  “enemies” are far tougher to vanquish or rebuild — poverty, devastated infrastructure, homelessness, no functioning civil institutions and much more.
But no such “enemies” are probably more pervasive than the potential for corruption and the malaise that sets in because of the enormity of the recovery.
All such tasks take money, effort and most importantly, time. The redevelopment after even a limited conflict is massive.
This scenario brings to mind what’s happened in West Virginia following the catastrophic flooding in June 2016. Corruption and inertia, in the absence of oversight and leadership, frame this issue best in light of its timeline.
Incidents of corruption only recently emerged in headlines with the arrest of four former and current city officials in Richwood.
However, a number of state officials and staff have resigned in the wake of the continued bungling of flood relief. Just last week, the former Homeland Security director, who was at the center of that controversy, announced his retirement.
Last year, the Justice administration pressured its commerce secretary and that agency’s general counsel to resign after unlawful contracts the state was operating under came to light.
Two years after the flooding, an audit questioned whether any homes were even completed under the Rise West Virginia reconstruction program. More than 1,200 were destroyed.
That audit also determined the state had spent a little over $1 million of nearly $150 million in federal dollars for flood relief. Nearly a year after the National Guard took control of the Rise program of 435 active housing cases only 14 were completed. Of that nearly $150 million the state still has $136 million available.
The National Guard’s latest update reports 47 housing cases have been completed. However, it lists the number of outstanding cases at 476.
There are also stories about FEMA placing the state under heightened oversight, HUD putting the state on a “slow spender” list and much more.
Oddly this update on relief from the June 2016 flooding came to light after two state senators inquired about the Joint Legislative Committee on Flooding.
That committee was created to address spending of federal funds and progress in recovery from the flood. Apparently that committee has not met since December.
Though this committee may be able to ask questions and get answers, more needs to be done.
Aside from far more effort, this recovery is in need of  further investigation, and not just another audit.
It’s also apparent our  governor has met the “enemies,” and nearly three years later, many of them  are him.