[StBernard] FEMA trailer debacle worsens amid chemical exposure and closures

[Westley Annis]

FEMA trailer debacle worsens amid chemical exposure and closures
By Jesse Muhammad
Staff Writer
Updated Jul 6, 2007, 11:07 am

 (FinalCall.com) - A recent poll commissioned by the organizers of the 2007
National Hurricane Survival Initiative stated that nearly 90 percent of
those who were interviewed along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts have not taken
action to fortify their homes in preparation for the hurricane season.
However, another threat is emerging from within the makeshift trailer homes
supplied by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and occupied by
hundreds of thousands of Hurricane Katrina survivors: Exposure to
formaldehyde gas.

Of the 120,000 travel trailers and mobile homes in the Gulf, FEMA has
received 177 formaldehyde complaints as of May 23. The agency sent
inspectors into the field and switched out new units for trailers that were
already ventilated. FEMA distributed information to trailer occupants across
the country explaining how persons sensitive to formaldehyde may be affected
by its presence and laid out actions that should be taken to reduce exposure
in the trailers. FEMA has replaced 47 units which included 20 in Louisiana,
17 in Mississippi, eight in Texas and two in Alabama. Some of the households
complaining about formaldehyde, increased the ventilation in the unit or
decided against FEMA's offer to swap their unit, and others have identified
more permanent housing solutions, resulting in unit deactivation.

Since 2006, people say they have been affected by symptoms of formaldehyde
exposure, including eye, nose, and throat irritation, nausea and breathing
difficulties. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),
formaldehyde has been found to cause cancer in rats and may cause cancer in
humans. Formaldehyde is found in new permanent press fabrics, new carpets,
latex paint, fingernail polish, antiseptics, medicines, cosmetics,
dish-washing liquids, fabric softeners, shoe-care agents, carpet cleaners,
glues, adhesives, lacquers and plastics. In addition, formaldehyde is
produced by cigarettes and other tobacco products and gas cookers.

FEMA has applied standards issued by the U.S. Department of Housing and
Urban Development for formaldehyde emission levels for wood products used in
the construction of manufactured homes (mobile homes), to both travel
trailers and park models purchased by the agency. In a press statement,
representatives of FEMA said that its study of air samples collected from
travel trailers in the Gulf shows, that formaldehyde emission levels in the
units can be significantly reduced through adequate ventilation.

According to GovernmentExecutive.com, this is not the only issue that
citizens have had with FEMA trailers. According to an inspector general's
report on their website, FEMA awarded no-bid contacts to four industry
giants to install, maintain and then deactivate the units. The contracts
originally were for $400 million but increased to nearly $3.4 billion. While
these contracts were being signed, thousands of the trailers have yet to be
used and continues to sit idle at dozens of storage depots across the
country. Among the waste of American tax dollars was a $900 million purchase
of 26,300 mobile and modular homes that FEMA later discovered could not be
used in flood zones, where nearly all Katrina victims lived.

That report was later requested by Sen. Byron L. Dorgan (D-N.D.) and Sen.
Mary L. Landrieu (D-La.) for examination. "The inspector general's report
suggests that taxpayers were victims and hurricane victims were victimized
twice-once by Katrina and once by FEMA," Sen. Dorgan said.

St. Bernard Parish to close trailer parks

The St. Bernard Parish Council has approved a controversial plan to begin
closing FEMA trailer parks in August, which has residents screaming "We have
nowhere to go!" The Parish Council voted 4-2 to close the first three parks
by Aug. 15, with the remaining eight sites to be phased out by March of
2008. 

"We're trying to bring our parish back," Councilman Mark Madary said. "The
way you do that is to get back to normal, and FEMA trailer parks are not
normal." 

Other council members said closing the trailer parks should stimulate the
sluggish rental housing market and start moving residents into safer housing
before the peak of the hurricane season. Parish officials vowed to help
residents living in more than 600 trailers at the 11 sites, find alternate
housing. 

"The bottom line is that no one is going to be moved from a FEMA trailer to
the street," Councilman Craig Taffaro said. But many citizens say they have
heard that song before and are not confident that their word will be kept.
At a recent council meeting in Chalmette, residents jam-packed the room to
voice their concerns. 

"You wanted us to come back to St. Bernard after the hurricane, but now you
want to take our homes away," said Jacquelyn Vitale, who lives at a trailer
site near C.F. Rowley Elementary School in Chalmette that is slated to close
Oct. 30. "What are you going to do with us? The only reason we're there is
because we have no place else to go." 

Councilmembers Joey DiFatta and Lynn Dean voted in opposition to the
ordinance, saying that trailer occupants needed more time to find new places
to live. 

"If we close the sites too quickly, people will just move to another trailer
somewhere else," Councilman DiFatta stated. "But if we give them more time,
they might be able to find permanent housing." 

Initially the first round of closing was set to start July 15 with the last
park slated to close on Dec 31. But Councilwoman Dean had argued that no
closings should start at all until early next year. This ordinance does not
include trailers located on residential property or in commercial trailer
parks. The first three group sites targeted for closing will be in Chalmette
for the Torres Park, Lynn Dean Park and the parking lot of the former Stage
store. 

Councilmember Judy Hoffmeister said "I sympathize with the
soon-to-be-displaced residents and they are being treated like Third World
citizens by the federal government. This whole situation is just
heartbreaking, and we are trying our best to do something for you. But the
reality is that FEMA trailers are coming to an end." 



C Copyright 2007 FCN Publishing, FinalCall.com 


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