Mississippi: In Tent Encampments, Frustration Swells

[struggle4progress]

By ROBIN POGREBIN
Published: October 14, 2005
PEARLINGTON, Miss., Oct. 11 - It was the moment when the portable toilets were taken away that almost took the fight out of Tony Earl.

For six weeks, ever since Hurricane Katrina destroyed his trailer home and his town, Mr. Earl and his family have been living in a tent, with no sign of the housing promised by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and President Bush.

So when FEMA, without explanation, carted off the portable outhouses the Earls had been using, he realized he had little choice. He is now struggling to build a free-standing bathroom out of the slabs of wood and tin that have washed up nearby. <snip>

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/14/national/nationalspecial/14tent.html

[FloridaPat]

1. Unbelievable. Just unbelievable.

[bluedonkey]

2. Nothing make sense

anymore!
I drive by hundreds of FEMA trailers every day.They've been there fo weeks now.Some of them are gone,but people been waiting for them all over Louisiana.
I had no idea Mississippi was in trouble too,I thought they had it under control there.
What can we do? Anybody we can call?

[struggle4progress]

3. It's partly a political problem: the poor have no power, hence no voice.

The political solution is to raise some hell: for example, call or email your Senators and Representatives; be polite but make it clear that you are angry. Or write a LTTE and ask where all the money is going. Do something to make people a bit nervous about the situation ...

[wellstone dem]

4. And to make it worse

rather than share the pain by raising taxes to address costs, the GOPers are looking at cutting programs for the disabled, the poor, medical coverage, etc, to pay for these abysmal services. WRITE YOUR LEGISLATORS!!

[Imalittleteapot]

5. Living in a tent is bad enough. Hauling

away the outhouses is abominable. What is wrong with this country? Oh never mind. :mad:

[rodeodance]

6. what is FEMA thinking!! Geech--let these people have some dignity!

[classysassy]

7. The poor

they still love Bush.

[struggle4progress]

8. What evidence supports this generalization? eom