FEMA trailer in front of formerly flooded house

The term FEMA trailer,^[1][2] or FEMA travel trailer, is the name commonly given by the United States Government^[1] to many forms of temporary manufactured housing assigned to the victims of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). FEMA trailers were used to house thousands of persons in South Florida displaced by Hurricane Andrew in August 1992, for as long as two and a half years.^[3] They provide intermediate term shelter intended to function longer than tents used for immediate shelter after a disaster. They serve a similar function to "earthquake shacks" erected to provide interim housing after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.^[4] Image File history File links Unbalanced_scales. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2592 × 1944 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2592 × 1944 pixel, file size: 1. ... The government of the United States, established by the United States Constitution, is a federal republic of 50 states, a few territories and some protectorates. ... A diagram of a Manufactured house being placed on supports. ... Lowest pressure 902 mbar (hPa; 26. ... Lowest pressure 895 mbar (hPa)[1] Damages $10 billion (2005 USD)[1] Fatalities 7 direct, 113 indirect Areas affected Bahamas, Florida, Cuba, Yucatán Peninsula, Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Arkansas Part of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season Hurricane Rita is the fourth-most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded and the most... New FEMA seal The Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS). ... New FEMA seal The Federal Emergency Management Agency or FEMA is an agency of the United States government dedicated to swift response in the event of disasters, both natural and man-made. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... Lowest pressure 922 mbar (hPa; 27. ... Arnold Genthes famous photograph of San Francisco following the earthquake, looking toward the fire on Sacramento Street A statue of Louis Agassiz, a Swiss-American geologist, after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, on the campus of Stanford University. ...

FEMA trailers have become part of the cultural landscape and language of New Orleans and other Gulf Coast communities, along with MRE's, toxic mold, Katrina refrigerators, Flood Insurance, and Levee Failure. Throughout the city of New Orleans, they are the only habitable dwellings in neighborhoods which received extreme flood damage from the recent storms. FEMA trailers have become a common sight, even in neighborhoods that received moderate flood or wind damage, such as Jefferson Parish. New Orleans is the largest city in the state of Louisiana, United States of America. ... States that border the Gulf of Mexico are shown in red The Gulf Coast region of the United States comprises the coasts of states which border the Gulf of Mexico. ... An MRE packet, containing a main course or entrée of spaghetti with meat sauce. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Mold. ... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... Insurance, in law and economics, is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent loss. ... Sketch of New Orleans (shaded grey), indicating the locations of the principal breaches in the levees/floodwalls (dark blue arrows). ... Nickname: Location in the State of Louisiana and the United States Coordinates: Country United States State Louisiana Parish Orleans Founded 1718 Government  - Mayor Ray Nagin (D) Area  - City  350. ... Residential dwellings can be built in a large variety of configurations. ... A neighbourhood or neighborhood (see spelling differences) is a geographically localised community located within a larger city or suburb. ... Picture of flooding in Amphoe Sena, Ayutthaya Province, Thailand. ... Jefferson Parish is a parish in Louisiana with a population of 455,466 (Census 2000). ...

FEMA trailers remain the property of the U.S. Government and are to be returned after use; however, in 1995 some Florida residents after Hurricane Andrew "bought their FEMA trailers for an average of $1,100 each."^[3] On March 25, 2006, FEMA issued a news release^[1] requesting residents to call the FEMA Trailer Hotline to schedule removal of unneeded FEMA trailers after use. Surplus FEMA trailers are sold via online public auctions conducted by the General Sevices Administration http://gsaauctions.gov/gsaauctions/gsaauctions/ This article is about the U.S. State. ... Lowest pressure 922 mbar (hPa; 27. ... March 25 is the 84th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (85th in leap years). ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... New FEMA seal The Federal Emergency Management Agency or FEMA is an agency of the United States government dedicated to swift response in the event of disasters, both natural and man-made. ...

FEMA trailer and Katrina damaged house in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana

Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2592 × 1944 pixel, file size: 2. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2592 × 1944 pixel, file size: 2. ...

Need for FEMA trailers

For homeowners, FEMA trailers are intended to provide temporary housing until they are able to gut and repair or rebuild their homes. Because of the extensive destruction to residential neighborhoods by winds, flooding and tornadoes in 2005,^[5][6][7] most of these disaster areas were suffering from an extreme housing shortage. The widespread extent of the rebuilding effort itself caused a shortage of building contractors and materials throughout the region, which further delayed the construction of new housing, and took existing apartments or motels to house the incoming construction workers. Look up home in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A residential area is a type of land use where the predominant use is residential. ... A general contractor is an organization or individual that contracts with another organization or individual (the owner) for the construction of a building, road or other facility. ...

In New Orleans, the failure of the levee system inundated the city with standing flood water for several days after the storms. Even one inch of standing flood water is enough to cause an outbreak of toxic mold throughout an entire house. This is especially true because the storms took place in the heat and humidity of the New Orleans summer, ideal conditions for mold spores to flourish. Residents were prevented from returning home and gutting their houses for weeks by local government officials, until basic infrastructure for water and electricity were restored to the city. This gave mold colonies time to expand and cover sections of wall that were not flooded. Concentrations of indoor mold spores pose a serious health hazard and can even cause illness in people with weakened immune systems, such as the elderly and young children. New Orleans is the largest city in the state of Louisiana, United States of America. ... Sketch of New Orleans (shaded grey), indicating the locations of the principal breaches in the levees/floodwalls (dark blue arrows). ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Mold. ... The subtropics refers to the zones of the Earth immediately north and south of the tropic zone, which is bounded by the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, at latitude 23. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Mold. ... This article deals specifically with IgE-mediated hypersensitivity. ... A scanning electron microscope image of a single neutrophil (yellow), engulfing anthrax bacteria (orange). ...

Flood damage of this type requires the complete removal and replacement of carpeting, flooring, insulation, and sheet rock. Flood damage beyond a few inches may also destroy furniture, appliances, and other personal belongings. Almost all of these homes also received additional water damage from roof damage, so that roofs also needed to be replaced or repaired. A carpet is any loom-woven, felted textile or grass floor covering. ... Pergo flooring project Laminate flooring is a laminate flooring material made to look like wood flooring, but made up of either synthetic materials or of synthetic materials combined with natural ingredients and covered with a decorative applique. ... This article is becoming very long. ... For the musical group Drywall, see Drywall (musical project) Example of drywall with mud, the common interior building material. ... Look up furniture in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A major appliance is a large machine which accomplishes some routine housekeeping task, which includes purposes such as cooking, food preservation, or cleaning, whether in a household, institutional, commercial or industrial setting. ... A roof tiled in imitation of thatch at Croyde, north Devon, England Rooftops in Vietnam Snow on the roof The roof, the top covering of a building, is one of the universal structures found on all buildings. ...

In coastal communities, such as Gulfport^[7] and Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, buildings were entirely demolished by storm surges.^[6] Similarly, many apartments and public housing buildings were closed due to storm damage. Large buildings that sustained significant water damage, including apartment complexes, often require extensive rebuilding and a mold-removal process known as "mold remediation" before they can be rendered safe enough for habitation. With the housing shortage, leasing rates for apartments have become so prohibitively high that most working class storm victims cannot afford them. Without FEMA trailers, some people who do not own or rent homes would be unable to find any form of housing within the disaster area. Gulfport, Mississippi city flag. ... Bay Saint Louis is a city located in Hancock County, Mississippi. ... ... An apartment estate in Singapore; such blocks make up the majority of public housing and also housing in general in Singapore. ... In the United States and Canada, public housing is usually a block of purpose-built housing operated by a government agency, often simply referred to as projects. ... Mold Remediation is the process by which a certified and or trained professional performs a the removal and or clean up of mold from an indoor environment. ... A rental agreement is a contract, usually written, between the owner of a property and a renter who desires to have temporary possession of the property. ... The term working class is used to denote a social class. ...

Extensive flooding in the summer of 2006 in parts of New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey^{[citation needed]} also led to FEMA trailers being made available in the region. Trailers were installed relatively quickly, about a month or six weeks after the flooding, and response times from FEMA for repairs has been extremely quick^{[citation needed]}.

Description

Trailer in side yard of damaged house

FEMA trailer park in what had been a neighborhood playground

Many FEMA trailers are installed on the private property of homeowners, usually on lawns and sometimes in driveways next to the house. However, there are also numerous FEMA operated trailer parks where many storm victims are currently living. Although several types and sizes of manufactured structures have been installed throughout the Gulf Coast region, most are mass-produced one bedroom travel trailers. These typical FEMA trailers are designed to accommodate two adults and two children. There are larger trailers and other manufactured structures that can accommodate larger families. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2816 × 2112 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2816 × 2112 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2592 × 1944 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2592 × 1944 pixel, file size: 1. ... Property designates those things that are commonly recognized as being the possessions of a person or group. ... For other uses, see Lawn (disambiguation). ... Driveway to a farm A driveway is a type of private road for local access to one or a small group of structures, and maintained by an individual or group. ... For the Beth Orton album, see Trailer Park (album). ... Mass production is the production of large amounts of standardised products on production lines. ... A travel trailer or caravan is a small trailer in which people can live and travel simultaneously. ...

The typical FEMA trailer consists of a master bedroom with a standard size bed, a living area with kitchen and stove, bunk beds, and a bathroom with shower. Each trailer is equipped with electricity, air conditioning, indoor heating, running cold and hot water, a propane-operated stove and oven, a small microwave oven, a large refrigerator, and a few pieces of fixed furniture attached to the floor, usually a sofabed, a small table, and two chairs. Again, most FEMA trailers are identical mass-produced travel trailers. There are only a handful of FEMA trailer designs, so that nearly all trailers have the same general layout. A bed is a piece of furniture or location primarily used as a place to sleep, but can serve other functions, such as providing a place for sexual intercourse or for relaxation. ... A kitchen is a room used for food preparation and sometimes entertainment. ... A Bunkbed A bunk bed is a type of bed in which one bed is stacked on top of another. ... A typical American bathroom A bathroom is a room that may have different functions depending on the cultural context. ... Boris Ignatovich, The shower, ca. ... Electric egg beater Small appliance refers to a class of home appliances that are semi-portable or which are used on tabletops, countertops, or other platforms. ... Note: in the broadest sense, air conditioning can refer to any form of heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning. ... For the Grand Central Records albums, see Central Heating (Grand Central album) and Central Heating 2. ... A water tap In most developed nations drinking water is piped to homes and is available on tap. ... A stove is a heat-producing device. ... Oven depicted in a painting by Millet An oven is an enclosed compartment for heating, baking or drying. ... It has been suggested that this article be split into articles entitled Microwave oven and Microwave heating. ... “Freezer” redirects here. ... Look up furniture in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Table leg. ... Typical Western wooden chair A chair is a piece of furniture for sitting, consisting of a seat, a back, and sometimes arm rests, commonly for use by one person. ...

Each trailer is elevated about two feet above the ground on concrete supports. There is only one door on the side of the trailer accessible through a wooden or aluminum stairwell. There are also long ramps for wheelchair-bound occupants. Electrical service to the FEMA trailers is installed by the local power company, which is the Entergy Corporation in most of the Gulf Coast region. Each trailer has its own power meter, separate from the power meter of the house. These trailers do have ports for telephone access, cable, and Internet access. However, these services are not handled by FEMA, and a trailer occupant must arrange to have these services installed by a local provider. Spiral (double helix) stairway in the Vatican Museum Stairs, staircase, stairway, stairwell, and flight of stairs are all names for a construction designed to bridge a large vertical distance by dividing it into smaller vertical distances, called steps. ... The inclined plane is one of the classical simple machines; as the name suggests, it is a flat surface whose endpoints are at different heights. ... A wheelchair is a wheeled mobility device in which the user sits. ... Power line redirects here. ... Entergy Corporation (NYSE: ETR), based in New Orleans, Louisiana, is a Delaware chartered corporation engaged in electric power production, retail distribution operations, energy marketing and trading, and gas transportation. ... Typical US domestic electricity meter An electric meter or energy meter is a device that measures the amount of electrical energy supplied to a residence or business. ... The telephone is a telecommunications device which is used to transmit and receive sound (most commonly voice and speech) across distance. ... Coaxial cable is often used to transmit cable television into the house. ... Internet public access point. ...

The typical FEMA trailer has two propane tanks on the front of the trailer behind the master bedroom, which provide the hot water, indoor heating, and gas for the stove and oven. Running water for the trailer is usually provided by some sort of water source on the property, usually through a garden hose. Sewage is piped directly to an underground sewage main on the property. Most trailers have several windows which can be opened, as well as small light fixtures in each room. Propane is a three-carbon alkane, normally a gas, but compressible to a liquid that is transportable. ... A water supply network is a system of engineered hydrologic and hydraulic components, including: the watershed or geographic area that collects the water, see water purification - sources of drinking water; a raw (untreated) water reservoir (above or below ground) where the water gathers, such as a lake, a river, or... Sewage is the liquid water produced by human society which typically contains washing water, laundry waste, faeces, urine and other liquid or semi-liquid wastes. ... Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Waste For the company, see Waste Management, Inc. ... A window is an opening in an otherwise solid and opaque surface through which light and, sometimes, air can pass. ... Lighting refers to either artificial light sources such as lamps or to natural illumination of interiors from daylight. ...

The trailer parks operated by FEMA range from small lots, consisting of a dozen trailers in the parking lots of office buildings and supermarkets scattered throughout the region, to several massive parks occupying large plots of land with hundreds of trailers. The larger parks are typically surrounded by a chain-link fence and brightly lit at night. FEMA has also provided police security and controlled access to the larger parks. Parking lot showing diagonal parking pattern designed for one-way traffic. ... For other uses, see Building (disambiguation). ... Exterior of a typical British supermarket (a Tesco Extra) Exterior of typical North American supermarket (a Safeway) This Flagship Randalls store in Houston, Texas is an example of an upscale supermarket. ... A Chain link fence is a type of woven fence usually made from galvanized steel wire. ... In the field of physical security, security lighting is often used as a preventative and corrective measure against intrusions or other criminal activity on a physical piece of property. ... This page covers security in the sense of protection from hostile action. ...

While occupying FEMA travel trailers or mobile homes, residents are responsible for maintaining their trailers, such as keeping the trailers clean, changing lightbulbs and smoke-detector batteries, and making sure propane fuel tanks are refilled with fuel.^[1] A travel trailer or caravan is a small trailer in which people can live and travel simultaneously. ... A modern double-wide manufactured home. ... The incandescent light bulb uses a glowing wire filament heated to white-hot by electrical resistance, to generate light (a process known as thermal radiation). ... A smoke detector or smoke alarm is a device that detects smoke and issues an alarm to alert nearby people that there is a potential fire. ... Propane is a three-carbon alkane, normally a gas, but compressible to a liquid that is transportable. ...

Travel trailers and mobile homes are inspected once a month for the occupant's safety and convenience: if a travel trailer or mobile home requires maintenance beyond basic upkeep, residents should call the appropriate travel trailer maintenance hotline for their parish or county.^[1] In telecommunication, a hotline (also called an automatic signaling service or off-hook service) is a point-to-point communications link in which a call is automatically directed to the preselected destination without any additional action by the user when the end instrument goes off-hook. ... A civil parish (usually just parish) in England is a subnational entity forming the lowest unit of local government, lower than districts or counties. ... A county is generally a sub-unit of regional self-government within a sovereign jurisdiction. ...

Application process

Storm victims throughout the disaster area are eligible to receive a FEMA trailer. Storm victims must complete a FEMA application form, after which they will be interviewed by a FEMA adjuster, who is similar to an insurance claims adjuster. If the storm victim owns or rents a house in the disaster area, the adjuster will determine if the damage to the home warrants temporary housing until the home is repaired. Victims who do not own or rent a home will be assigned a trailer if they were living in the disaster area before the storm. Claims adjuster is a term used to describe someone who evaluates the damage caused to property or people when an insurance related accident occurs. ...

To date, almost all applications for FEMA trailers have been approved, even in two-story homes with slight flood damage on the first floor. This is because any amount of standing floodwater requires extensive repairs, during which the house may not be habitable. Large families may apply for larger trailers or even multiple trailers for a single property. After approval, the applicant is placed on a waiting list. The time between approval and actually receiving a trailer can vary from a few weeks to several months. A flood (in Old English flod, a word common to Teutonic languages; compare German Flut, Dutch vloed from the same root as is seen in flow, float) is an overflow of water, an expanse of water submerging land, a deluge. ...

FEMA subcontracts the installation of FEMA trailers to numerous private contractors. First, a subcontractor installs the trailer itself. After this, other contractors install the access stairs or ramps, furniture, appliances, and water. Next, the trailer occupant must contact the power company to install a power line and power meter for the trailer. Finally, a FEMA inspector will inspect the trailer for safety compliance. Only after this lengthy process, will the occupant receive the keys for their trailer. A subcontractor is an individual or in many cases a business that signs a contract to perform part or all of the obligations of anothers contract. ... The word appliance has several different areas of meaning, all usually referring to a device with a narrow function: One class of objects includes items that are custom-fitted to an individual for the purpose of correction of a physical or dental problem, such as prosthetic, orthotic appliances and dental... Warning signs, such as this one, can improve safety awareness. ...

FEMA originally stated that residents could live in their FEMA trailers for 18 months.^[8]

Trailer culture

In general, most Katrina Victims appreciate their trailers and commend FEMA for creating the trailer program. So far, all FEMA trailers have been issued to storm victims without charge. FEMA trailers are manufactured from plastic, aluminum, and particle board. As such, they are somewhat flimsy and require more maintenance than a permanent structure. They are also poorly insulated, offer little sound insulation, and are known to sway in high winds. This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Aluminum is a soft and lightweight metal with a dull silvery appearance, due to a thin layer of oxidation that forms quickly when it is exposed to air. ... Particle board is a material manufactured from wood particles (e. ... This article is becoming very long. ... Noise pollution, usually called environmental noise in technical venues, is displeasing human or machine created sound that disrupts the environment. ...

Nevertheless, most FEMA trailer occupants have been living in their cars, tents, FEMA subsidized hotels, partially gutted homes, or sharing the crowded homes of relatives before receiving their trailers. As such, the relative personal privacy of a trailer is seen as a vast improvement. FEMA trailers are considered surprisingly spacious, although they have very little storage space for personal belongings. Karl Benzs Velo (vélo means bicycle in French) model (1894) - entered into the first automobile race 2005 MINI Cooper S. An automobile (also motor car or simply car) is a wheeled passenger vehicle that carries its own motor. ... Military tents U.S. Army tent with constructed wooden entrance, climate control unit and sandbags for protection. ... Holiday Inn Great Sign Exterior of a Howard Johnsons motor lodge. ... Kinship is the most basic principle of organizing individuals into social groups, roles, and categories. ...

Many trailer occupants consider their trailers actual homes, and have affectionately personalized their trailers with curtains, paintings, and houseplants. During the Christmas season, many FEMA trailers have been elaborately decorated with Christmas lights. FEMA trailers have been similarly decorated during Halloween, Easter, and other holidays. Trailers have also been decorated with political statements, sometimes praising and other times satirizing local government officials and FEMA itself. This does not cite its references or sources. ... For building painting, see painter and decorator. ... A houseplant is usually a tropical or semi-tropical plant that is grown indoors in places such as residences and offices. ... Christmas is an annual holiday that marks the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. ... Section of a string of Christmas lights Christmas lights (also sometimes called fairy lights, twinkle lights or holiday lights in the United States) are strands of electric lights used to decorate homes, public/commercial buildings and Christmas trees during the Christmas season, mostly in the West. ... Halloween, or Halloween, is a tradition celebrated on the night of October 31, most notably by children dressing in costumes and going door-to-door collecting sweets, fruit, and other gifts. ... Easter, the Sunday of the Resurrection, Pascha, or Resurrection Day, is the most important religious feast of the Christian liturgical year, observed at some point between late March and late April each year (early April to early May in Eastern Christianity), following the cycle of the moon. ... The term political statement is usually used to refer to any act or non verbal form of communication that is intended to convey a political message. ...

FEMA trailer parks have developed into small communities. In New Orleans and other Gulf Coast cities, extended families often live near each other in the same neighborhoods, and several trailer parks are located near the same neighborhoods. As such, many members of the same family live in different trailers in the same parks. Neighbors frequently convene to have barbecues, crawfish boils, and parties for watching Saints Football. It has been suggested that Grilling be merged into this article or section. ... Seafood boil is the generic term for any number of different kinds of social events in which shellfish is the central element. ... City New Orleans, Louisiana Team colors Old Gold, Black, and White Head Coach Sean Payton Owner Tom Benson General manager Mickey Loomis Mascot Gumbo the dog League/Conference affiliations National Football League (1967–present) Eastern Conference (1967-1969) Capitol Division (1967; 1969) Century Division (1968) National Football Conference (1970-present...

Controversy and problems

However, FEMA's handling of the FEMA trailer program is among the long list of criticisms of the Federal government's response to Hurricane Katrina. Until the summer of 2006, nearly a year after the storm made landfall, many storm victims were still waiting to receive the trailers that they had applied for. Some storm victims were still living in "temporary" FEMA-subsidized hotels, when they were forcibly evicted by FEMA, even though they had not yet been assigned a trailer. This left hundreds of storm victims effectively homeless. Image File history File links Circle-question. ... The neutrality of this section is disputed. ... New FEMA seal The Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS). ... McWaters v. ... A homeless person in Paris. ...

The private companies contracted to install and maintain the FEMA trailers have criticized FEMA for the tremendous amount of paperwork and lack of coordination within the program.

But the harshest criticism has come from the storm victims. FEMA is routinely criticized by local residents and local new media for slow response times and bureaucratic errors within the program. FEMA discourages trailer occupants from performing maintenance on their own trailers. But in order to have maintenance performed on a FEMA trailer, an occupant must call a FEMA 1-800 or 1-866 "FEMA Trailer Maintenance" number for the region,^[1] often wait a long time before a FEMA representative answers, and explain the nature of the problem; the FEMA representative then determines what kind of repair or maintenance is required and schedules a service request. Then the occupant must wait for a private contractor to perform the maintenance task. FEMA is unable to schedule specific appointment times, and some occupants must wait for days before a contractor arrives, assuming FEMA doesn't mishandle the call and a contractor actually arrives. This is all true even when the maintenance call is an emergency, such as a lack of air-conditioning, lack of heating, or lack of clean water. Home repair involves the diagnosis and resolution of problems in a home, and is related to home Maintenance to avoid such problems. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

The process for receiving a FEMA trailer itself has been heavily criticized for being too convoluted. Many homeowners have had a FEMA trailer sitting on their properties for weeks, but were not given the keys because of lack of electricity or because the trailer has not been inspected by a FEMA inspector. Many of these homeowners have been sleeping in tents or in their cars, while a useless FEMA trailer lay idle in front of their homes.

Some have alleged that FEMA trailers are inherently hazardous because they employ propane-operated stoves. Since the trailers are essentially a very small enclosed space, even a minor kitchen fire can quickly destroy the entire trailer. FEMA trailer fires have become commonplace throughout the disaster area. A fire hazard is considered to exist where there is a danger of a fire breaking out or spreading quickly. ... Fire safety is a component of Building Safety. ...

There have also been accusations of health problems caused by high formaldehyde levels in the trailers, produced by formaldehyde emissions from manufactured materials used in construction of the trailers. Residents have reported breathing difficulties, persistent flu-like symptoms, eye irritation, and nosebleeds. Tests on a number of FEMA trailers by the Sierra Club showed some 83% had levels of formaldehyde in the indoor air at levels above the EPA recommended limit. Congressmen Henry Waxman and Charlie Melancon have requested FEMA test trailers and address the issue.^[9] The chemical compound formaldehyde (also known as methanal) is a gas with a pungent smell. ... The Sierra Club is an American environmental organization founded on May 28, 1892 in San Francisco, California by the well-known preservationist John Muir, who became its first president. ... Henry Arnold Waxman (born September 12, 1939) is an American politician. ... Charles Joseph Charlie Melancon (pronounced Meh-law-soÉ´) (born October 3, 1947, in Napoleonville) is a Democrat who was elected in to represent Louisianas 3rd congressional district. ...

Some have questioned whether the FEMA trailer program is cost-effective. Some critics have alleged that the millions of dollars spent on temporary housing could have instead been directly spent on repairing and replacing flood-damaged homes. In neighborhoods with moderate flood damage, the money spent on trailers could have been allocated to the homeowners themselves so that their homes could be repaired more quickly. However since there was such an urgent, immediate need for housing to respond to the largest natural disaster to ever hit the United States [1] the FEMA trailer was a quick fix to an immediate need for housing. Still, throughout the region, FEMA took so many months to install FEMA trailers that they were installed on properties AFTER the homeowners had completed all of the repairs to their homes, thus rendering the trailers unnecessary. In places like, New Orleans East and Plaquemines Parish, where nearly every building had been destroyed, money could have been spent on the rapid construction of large numbers of permanent homes, especially prefabricated structures. Eastern New Orleans is a large section of the city of New Orleans, Louisiana. ... Plaquemines Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. ... Prefabricated building is a type of building that consists of several factory-built units that are assembled on-site to complete the unit. ...

References

<references/

External links

• LSU AgCenter — Extensive information on mold and mold removal.
• Toxic Mold — General information on toxic mold from the LSU AgCenter.
• The Federal Emergency Management Agency says something
• FEMAanswers.org — A wikimedia site to collect information on FEMA assistance.