FEMA TRAILER PARKS IN LOUISIANA
By Amber Ghauri
For many displaced victims of Rita and Katrina white trailers issued by
the Federal Emergency Management Agency are now home. Trailer towns
or parks as they are called started emerging everywhere in the state of Louisiana
as a new means of sheltering after hurricane Rita and Katrina. Katrina,
the worst disaster in Federal Emergency Management Agency’s history, has left
thousands of people homeless. Thus FEMA has placed these victims in
temporary housings such as trailers and hotels until they can find a permanent
solution for them.
Nearly Five months after hurricane Katrina hit, 58,000 people are still
living in trailer parks in Louisiana. There are about 18,000 mobile
homes scattered in Louisiana alone, located in parking lots, private driveways,
and other vacant areas. One of the first such big parks of 600 trailers
is located in a small town Baker, Louisiana housed on 60 acres of land owned
by the Louisiana State Corrections Department and home to more than 1,600
people. Even though trailer parks have been built to provide shelter
in emergencies, Glen Morgan from the Baker community says, “some see the site
as a “pleasure resort” because evacuees pay no rent to FEMA and get all their
water, electricity and gas for free.”
In New Orleans, Louisiana fewer than 1,700 trailers are occupied in spite
of 500 trailers arriving every day. It is difficult to get one of these
trailers because FEMA still has to decide where to put them. Neighborhoods
don’t want them in their communities, and it’s hard to find areas with basic
utility services such as water and electricity. Also, with everyone
highly criticizing trailer parks as a wasteful effort and millions of dollars
spent unwisely makes it harder for FEMA to decide where to place them.
FEMA has spent around $140,000 for each trailer and site for a family to use
for 18 months. $22 million were spent to prepare the lots for approximately
600 trailers at the trailer park in Baker, Louisiana situated 90 miles from
New Orleans. Criticism of FEMA’s housing program comes both from conservatives
and liberals.
To live in one of these trailer communities, the applicant has to sign a
good conduct agreement and comply with the FEMA rules and regulations.
According to the agreement, the residents must live lawfully, keep the trailer
and surrounding areas clean, and remain respectful to their neighbors.
Meanwhile, the residents should be searching for permanent housing and inform
FEMA when they move. Trailer parks have their own security and are regularly
patrolled by an officer.
There is bad news for those evacuees living in trailers on private lots.
FEMA will soon stop paying electric bills for them. None-the-less trailer
parks have served their purpose for the thousands of evacuees from Hurricane
Rita and Katrina despite being expensive and receiving a great deal of harsh
criticism. They are now home to thousands of evacuees.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4481080.stm
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/12/29/earlyshow/main1169004.shtml
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/08/AR2005120802177.html
http://www.2theadvocate.com/wbrz/videos/2242262.html
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/110105N.shtml
http://federaltimes.com/index2.php?S=1465860
http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=22878