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Hearing Held on Post-Katrina Temporary Housing

Hurricane Recovery
Memo to Members: Vol 12, No. 12, March 23, 2007

On March 20, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management held a hearing on post-Katrina housing. The hearing was held to examine the process by which the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disposes of surplus property and the treatment of Hurricane Katrina evacuees housed in trailers and mobile homes. The hearing also focused on FEMA's overall housing policies and the recent tornadoes and severe weather in Arkansas.

Hearing witnesses were Representative Mike Ross (D-AR), FEMA Director David Paulison, Michael A. Molino, Recreation Vehicle Dealers Association, Pamela Williams, Resident of Yorkshire Mobile Homes in Hammond, LA, Ben Dupuy, The Cypress Cottage Partners, LLC, and Margery Austin Turner, Director of Metropolitan Housing and Communities Policy Center at the Urban Institute.

Mr. Paulison testified that the closure of the Bonner/Albin Trailer Park in Hammond, LA and the rapid relocation of its 54 families to other trailer sites, which received widespread negative publicity, were necessary due to health and safety concerns. "The situation at the trailer park was detrimental to the health and well-being of its residents - many with children and some with fragile health," he said. He cited the loss of electricity at the park on several occasions as one of his reasons for moving families out of the trailer park. Most importantly, Mr. Paulison said, the park's sewer system was leaking, causing an overabundance of standing, fetid water. "This is a situation that FEMA brought to the attention of the State Department of Health and Hospitals, who were likewise concerned with its implications for the health of its residents," he said.

Mr. Paulison disputed media reports that residents were unhappy about the move. "Contrary to media reports, all residents were provided an opportunity to identify a preferred location, and the vast majority were very grateful to be relocating," he said. Also, the residents were not left to fend for themselves, he said. "FEMA provided oversight of the moving process, and residents were provided assistance to help them in the move," he said.

Mr. Paulison conceded that the residents were not given ample time to prepare for the relocation. FEMA's intentions were good, and the move was initiated out of genuine concern and compassion for the health and welfare of the residents, he said. However, the level of communication, consideration and consultation should have been better, and FEMA is currently working with HUD to get evacuees into HUD programs and out of trailers and mobile homes, he said.

Mr. Dupuy requested additional funding for Gulf Coast modular housing. Representatives from The Cypress Cottage Partners are seeking to build homes that allow households to make the transition from temporary housing to permanent communities. "The homes we will build are affordable, permanent, quickly constructed, appropriate for various sizes of families and able to withstand winds of up to 140 miles per hour," Mr. Dupuy said. He said the homes would be adaptable to local zoning laws, building codes and architectural styles. Several models of single-family and multi-family homes will be built. His organization plans to build homes at four sites in southern Louisiana using the state's $74 million Alternative Housing Pilot Program grant from FEMA (see Memo, 1/12).

Ms. Williams testified that she and other evacuees are not comfortable in their new living situations. They miss their homes and cite a myriad of problems with the Yorkshire Mobile Home Park, including raw sewage in the ditches, constant flooding, incompetent landlords and recurring power outages.

Ms. Williams also testified that, due to FEMA's decision to abruptly relocate the residents to Yorkshire, many people are out of work and school due to extremely long commutes that require cars. Ms. Williams said that residents of Yorkshire are tired of the instability that comes with being in temporary housing and would like FEMA, Congress and the state of Louisiana to help them find permanent homes. "I would like to transition from temporary housing to permanent housing and am looking forward to working with FEMA to return to my life," she said.