Lawmakers probe shortage of Katrina housing

[cal04]

5,000 displaced Mississippi residents still waiting on FEMA trailers
A lack of coordination among utility companies is one of the reasons why thousands of Mississippi families are still waiting for trailers more than four months after Hurricane Katrina destroyed their homes, a federal official told a congressional subcommittee Saturday.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has provided travel trailers for around 31,000 families on Mississippi’s Gulf Coast, but roughly 5,000 others are still waiting. Nick Russo, FEMA’s coordinating officer for Mississippi, told subcommittee members that FEMA had wanted to set up a task force to coordinate the installation of electricity, water and sewer service at trailer sites and speed the work.

However, the process has been slower than anticipated because local utilities are “beyond our control,” he said.“We could request it, but we couldn’t mandate it. That’s what is holding that process up,” he told members of the Housing and Community Opportunity Subcommittee of the House Financial Services Committee.

No representative of the utilities spoke at the hearing, but Mississippi Power spokesman Kurt Brautigam said in a telephone interview that he was not aware of any delays in hooking up electricity for the trailers. “We have responded to all requests to establish service,” he said. “We are not able to come in and do that until city and local inspections have been (completed).”






A luxury car is parked outside a FEMA trailer in Waveland, Miss. While 31,000 Mississippi residents displaced by Hurricane Katrina have recieved trailers, 5,000 are still waiting.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10852865/
:grr:

[Dogmudgeon]

1. Great picture!

A Rolls-Royce parked next to a trailer.

Not just a trailer, but its sewage outlet, as well (check the rear right tire).

That one's going to be around the Internet for a long, long time.

--p!

[aquart]

2. Proving what?

[Dogmudgeon]

4. Proving?

It's a juxtaposition of two icons of American culture.

It's kind of like the old gag of putting an ornate, calligraphically-executed sign up in a high-priced restaurant that reads, "Please do not spit on the floor. Thank you. The Management."

--p!

[intheflow]

3. Waiting for 5000 trailers in MS, but 21,000 people waiting in NOLA?!

It's amazing what's reported up front in this story (wealthy, presumeably white Mississipians portrayed with Rolls) and what's buried at the end of the article (16,000 more people displaced, but they're probably people of color and/or poor). :grr:

[ConcernedCanuk]

5. Why would someone who could afford a Rolls-Royce even NEED a trailer?

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and an imported Rolls at that - notice the European licence plate?

sheesh!

whatsadamatter with da USA??

I'd rather see kids' bicycles and toys outside -

then I would appreciate the NEED

(sigh)

[ConcernedCanuk]

6. I'm just a wee bit suprised at the lack of response to this . . .

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A Rolls in front of a FEMA trailer

while the homeless wander . .

USA is in trouble methinks . . .