FEMA contracts out its home inspection services to…BlackRock…and a front company?

 Pay no attention to the global investment corporations that are vying for access to the natural resources—like lithium—in North Carolina’s landscape, and the shadowy business with no substantial presence in the marketplace, whose agents are running the property valuation operations! Confused? Allow me to explain.

On the FEMA website, one can navigate to a webpage that discloses the recipients of certain federal FEMA contracts, and what services those contractors provide; here’s an explanation of the relationship between FEMA and the private sector:

FEMA Advance Contracts for goods and services are competed [sic] and awarded in advance of major disaster declarations to provide efficient, cost-effective means for rapid delivery of supplies and services for recurring disaster response and recovery requirements.

If you search for the private companies with contracts for the “Housing Inspection Services” function, you’ll see two contracts, one to “WSP USA Services, Inc.” and the other to Vanguard Inspection Services.

Screenshot from FEMA webpage

For context, WSP is a environmental consulting firm based out of Canada, with BlackRock and Vanguard Group being major investors. Here’s a breakdown, from The Wall Street Journal “Markets” page:

Screenshot from WSJ Markets

Regarding Vanguard Inspection Services, it’s got all the markers of a front company; as far as I can tell, it looks as though VIS exists solely to do business with FEMA. From the homepage of the company website:

Vanguard Inspection Services is fully committed to providing complete and compliant Disaster Home Inspections under FEMA’s Housing Inspection Services (HIS) Program. VIS’s committed staff, in partnership with our cadre of Independent Contractors performing disaster housing inspections, provide a quality service to ensure disaster survivors receive the assistance they need in an expedient manner.

A number of the site’s other pages appear incomplete, with many displaying random code throughout—with who knows how many millions being funneled into VIS, you’d think they’d produce a legitimate looking website, but it just looks like a hack job.

(Vanguard Group is not to be confused with Vanguard Inspection Services.)

Now, a Florida county government recently announced that FEMA would be conducting “free” home inspections, which is part of the process to rebuild:

After Floridians apply for FEMA assistance following Hurricane Helene, a home inspection may be necessary to help determine whether the home is safe, sanitary, and livable.

Per the same announcement, inspectors will consider things like livability, whether or not the utility connections and systems are in “working order,” the “structural soundness” of the domicile, and whether or not the property is “safe” to access.

First of all, we need to consider the implications of home inspectors, employed in part by BlackRock and Vanguard investments, surveying the damage and assessing the value of hurricane-stricken North Carolina—especially because of the vast lithium deposits in the ground beneath and around these private properties.

According to Straits Research, a major market analyst, the demand for lithium is going to explode over the next few years:

The global lithium market size was valued at USD 38.2 billion in 2022 and is projected to reach a value of USD 230.4 billion by 2031, registering a CAGR of 22.1% during the forecast period (2023-2031).

This is a more than 500% increase in less than a decade.

Here’s this, from a report less than two weeks ago;

Albemarle, a major lithium producer, is pursuing lithium production in North Carolina. Earlier this year, it announced plans to reopen the resource-rich lithium Kings Mountain mine in the state by the end of 2026, supported by $150 million in DoE funding. However, it has faced backlash from environmentalists and indigenous groups looking to block the development, which has led to delays. Albemarle is looking to expand its domestic lithium production.

And, wouldn’t you know it, but BlackRock is major investor in Albemarle:

On August 31, 2024, BlackRock Inc. (Trades, Portfolio), a prominent investment management firm, expanded its investment portfolio by acquiring an additional 2,220,059 shares of Albemarle Corp (NYSE:ALB). This transaction increased BlackRock's total holdings in the company to 12,183,614 shares, reflecting a significant commitment to Albemarle….

Are company agents essentially working on behalf of BlackRock and Vanguard going to be impartial parties as they value and assess the properties destroyed by Hurricane Helene? Are they going to deem these residences “liveable” and “safe” if their bosses want what’s buried beneath the homes? Is there an incentive for these contracted “home inspectors” to screw the homeowners out of their own property? Will these homes be condemned, so the BlackRock and Vanguard bosses can dole out paltry “fair market value” pennies, and become even wealthier?

If I didn’t know any better, I’d reckon this is fixing to be one of the great wealth transfers in the history of the U.S.

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2024/10/fema_contracts_out_its_home_inspection_services_to_blackrock_and_a_front_company.html