FEMA Phasing Out Louisiana Trailer Parks

Hurricane Victim Advocates Say Area Housing Shortages Continue To Be a Problem

(AP)  The Federal Emergency Management Agency is planning to close by Friday as many as 13 trailer parks in Louisiana where victims of the 2005 hurricanes are currently living.

The move is intended to help the hurricane victims move into more stable, permanent housing, FEMA said. But advocates are concerned that a housing shortage in the still-recovering area could leave some struggling to find a place to live.

It was not clear how many residents remained in parks slated for closure Friday, though Ronnie Simpson, a FEMA spokesman, estimated there were dozens. Residents were given at least 60 days notice, and FEMA is offering rental assistance to those living in the trailers, he said.

"People act like we're doing a disservice for moving people from a little trailer to an apartment or a house," he said Thursday. "I'm not sure that anyone really thought of these trailers as being their permanent home; I hope not. They were meant for temporary housing."

FEMA plans to close all its trailer sites for Louisiana residents struck by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita within the next six months and end commercial leases by late 2008. The areas slated for closure Friday are mostly in the New Orleans area.

Davida Finger, a staff attorney with the Loyola Law Clinic who handles hurricane-related cases, said she was "deeply concerned," particularly when considering the current housing shortage. Katrina severely damaged or destroyed much of the housing stock in New Orleans, and affordable rents have been a big concern for residents and housing advocates.

FEMA says people living in trailers are given listings of available rentals in their area, but Finger contends not everyone is able to "beat the pavement" to check out the units and make sure they're safe.

"What's going on with housing right now continues to be an emergency," she said. "It continues to be a crisis, and there are no quick solutions, which make these additional announcements so difficult for people now."

Simpson said trailer-park residents will not be evicted if they need extra time to find an apartment. If an apartment is not ready by the time FEMA begins taking a park down, he said the agency would put a family up in a hotel until their new home is ready.

The plans will not affect families living in trailers in front of their hurricane-damaged homes - at least 25,000 such trailers remain, according to a FEMA estimate.

[anonbene]

To Davida Finger, Loyola Law Clinic, Yes there is a quick solution but so far no one on the Gulf Coast has contacted me on my offer. If you want to help people get back into their own house contact me at The Benefactor Project .com

[vampire1288]

years ago we had some flooding problems here and the goverment came in with a bunch of small trailers, most not really big enough for a family, still better than nothing.. as time went by mosty found a place to live and some of them were allowed to purchase the trailers... what was left were moved to a holding area and just simply forgotten.. there must have been at least 300 trailers, people tried to buy one including me.. no not allowed.. after some time people started breaking into them and stealing the stoves, refers, water heaters etc.. later on the whol;e bunch was auctioned off and went for almost nothing.. i will bet these trailers will end up the same way.. allowed to detoriate then sold as junk...