MS Granny earns Irma contract

The U.S. government has purchased nearly $614.3M in contracts as of Sept. 14, and since Hurricanes Harvey and Irma pummeled Texas and Florida, according to the Federal Procurement Data System, which compiles government-wide contracts. Contract awards are expected to grow. Among the recipients of these contracts are big players, including medical device maker Medtronic, General Dynamics, and smaller outfits, like Granny's Alliance Holdings of Pass Christian, Miss., a women-owned company that provides equipment and services for disasters such as portable showers and laundry services. Granny’s got $8.7M to help in eastern Florida. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, contractors won $20.4B in government monies to repair devastation across the Gulf Coast. Early estimates of Harvey and Irma devastation may cost up to $200B, according to Moody's Analytics. Katrina resulted in $160B, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Congress has appropriated $7.9B in emergency financing to date for the latest hurricanes. That number is expected to multiply. The Florida-based subsidiary of Gibbco got $74.3M to build mobile homes. When possible, local businesses are to receive preference for awards. In the case of Harvey contracts, roughly 16 percent of bids were awarded to Texas-based firms. The share of Florida firms has received only 7 percent of total funds for Irma's aftermath so far. (Source: CNN Money 09/15/17)