A woman walks past a pile of debris in a neighbourhood, damaged by last year's Hurricane Katrina, in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans, Louisiana Thursday. – Reuters

NEW ORLEANS (AP):

First came the floodwaters, then the paperwork.

Billions of promised federal dollars to fix New Orleans' crumbling infrastructure have gone largely untapped a year after Hurricane Katrina. City officials complain that a snarl of red tape, restrictions and unexpectedly high costs have kept hundreds of public buildings in disrepair, streets pocked with potholes and most parks too dirty for children to play.

"It's an incredible bureaucracy. It's unbelievable," Mayor Ray Nagin said in an interview with The Associated Press this week.

So far, the city has collected only $117 million (euro91.68 million) to start the repair work in what has been billed as the largest urban restoration in U.S. history.

Lengthy application process

For every repair project, city officials must follow a lengthy application process - and spend their own money _ before getting a dime of federal aid to fix at least 833 projects such as police stations, courtrooms, baseball fields or auditoriums.

Residents do not care much what the cause is. They are just tired of crater-like potholes, sudden drops in water pressure and debris-clogged storm drains.

"We're not asking for a lot. At this point, we're just looking for basic services: power, gas, water. Sewer that doesn't back up into your house would be nice too," said Jeb Bruneau, president of the neighbourhood association in the Lakeview area. "Whatever the snafu was, the result is Joe Blow Citizen isn't seeing the effect of that federal money."

Louisiana eventually expects to get at least $25 billion (€19.6 billion) in federal money for rebuilding projects, including everything from levee repairs to homeowner assistance. Of that money, $6 billion (€4.7 billion) to $8 billion (€6.3 billion) will be doled out statewide to repair broken roads, schools, water pipes and countless other problems.