Halliburton awarded Katrina contract

To the tune of $500 million. Must be because of that great job they're doing in Iraq, where there is still less access to electricity and water than there was under Saddam. And that's after 2 years of 'reconstruction.'

The Navy has hired Houston-based Halliburton Co. to restore electric power, repair roofs and remove debris at three naval facilities in Mississippi damaged by Hurricane Katrina.

Halliburton subsidiary KBR will also perform damage assessments at other naval installations in New Orleans as soon as it is safe to do so.

KBR was assigned the work under a "construction capabilities" contract awarded in 2004 after a competitive bidding process. The company is not involved in the Army Corps of Engineers' effort to repair New Orleans' levees.

Thank heaven for small favors.