The Stafford Act and the FEMA response and recovery plans are designed to offer temporary relief and then repair damaged structures. It was obvious very early that they will not work to rebuild whole cities, counties, parishes where much of the public infrastructure was destroyed, but we spent years haggling over the cost to repair or rebuild every building, every sewer pipe, every street. From the beginning, the Administration’s response to every proposal from Congress, MS, or LA was that they did not want to create new programs or establish new precedents.
Brian Martin’s comment provided what I’ve needed for days – a lede into this discussion of the housing controvery on the Coast as a result of FEMA’s one-size-fits-all rules.
Post-Katrina housing, always a hot-button issue, has never been a hotter.
- MSNBC carried HUD sued over Katrina fund diversion;
- USA Today reported Katrina cottage occupants may be removed; and
- Huff-Po picked up USA Today, generating 266 comments at last count, with Katrina victims being forced out of FEMA homes.
Thousands of cottages housing hurricane victims on the Mississippi Gulf Coast will be vacated next month, even though many of their occupants aren’t ready to move and may have no place to go if forced out.
Not only is the housing issue hot, for Sop, it is a very personal one – that’s his slab in the SLABBED logo at the top of the page – and he’s far from alone.
- Housing issues are personal to my friends who are trying to sell rental property because the higher post-Katrina insurance rates mean the low income population on the Coast can no longer afford low-income housing.
- Housing issues are personal to the friend-of-a-friend – one of the many low-income workers who can not afford housing – who fears his family will soon be homeless without the FEMA rent subsidy.
- Housing issues are also personal to those mentioned in the various articles about the disaster housing assistance ending next month. Continue reading “Getting our housing in order”