Holmes on Homes?
I don't know what made me look into that embassy we were supposed to be building in Iraq. Well, seems we built it...and look what I found. I had to look fast; it made me itchy...
Foodfight at U.S. Embassy in Iraq
- By Sharon Weinberger
- July 5, 2007 |
- 8:04 am |
- Categories: Paper Pushers, Beltway Bandits, Politicians
Concerns over the half billion dollar boondoggle, I mean embassy, in Iraq are growing to include accusations of shoddy construction and safety hazards. Problems first emerged when workers tried to use the new guard post kitchen, according to an article in the Washington Post:The first signs of trouble, according to the cable, emerged when the kitchen staff tried to cook the inaugural meal in the new guard base on May 15. Some appliances did not work. Workers began to get electric shocks. Then a burning smell enveloped the kitchen as the wiring began to melt.
All the food from the old guard camp — a collection of tents — had been carted to the new facility, in the expectation that the 1,200 guards would begin moving in the next day. But according to the cable, the electrical meltdown was just the first problem in a series of construction mistakes that soon left the base uninhabitable, including wiring problems, fuel leaks and noxious fumes in the sleeping trailers.
"Poor quality construction . . . life safety issues . . . left [the embassy] with no recourse but to shut the camp down, in spite of the blistering heat in Baghdad," the May 29 cable informed Washington.
The safety concerns have led to a lot of finger pointing, particularly at First Kuwaiti, which was responsible for the construction. First Kuwaiti is also under investigation for allegations that it brought workers to Iraq under false pretenses.
posted by Dot Calm @ 8:47 PM
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