FEMA Might Get Sued for Toxic Trailers

Here we are, over three years after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, and residents in that area are still dealing with the after effects in more ways than one.  We all know the story of how FEMA royally screwed up in the aftermath of the hurricane, failing to do its job in protecting and aiding the citizens of this country during a disaster. But the government agency also failed when they failed to act after it was discovered that the travel trailers given to affected residents to live in after their homes were destroyed were packed with formaldehyde.

Earlier this month a House committee found that the CDC and FEMA failed to protect the public’s health, and a federal judge also determined that the agency is not immune from lawsuits from Gulf Coast residents who had to breathe in the toxic fumes.

From Treehugger:

“The agency’s incomplete and inadequate handling of their public health assessment, the failure to quickly and effectively correct their scientific mistakes and their reluctance to take appropriate corrective actions was all marked by notable inattention and inaction on the part of ATSDR’s ( Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry ) senior leadership.  As a result, tens of thousands of Hurricane Katrina and Rita families living in trailers with elevated levels of formaldehyde were kept in harm’s way for at least one year longer than necessary.”

“U.S. District Judge Kurt Engelhardt cited evidence that the Federal Emergency Management Agency delayed investigating complaints about formaldehyde levels in its trailers because it might be held legally responsible. The preservative can cause breathing problems and is classified as a carcinogen.”

Last Friday’s ruling showed just how dirty the politics got behind the scenes at FEMA and the CDC - dirty enough to play with the health of thousands of Americans.

The trailers weren’t even tested for safety until 2006, when the Sierra Club stepped in after residents started complaining about health issues.  Treehugger reports that the CDC and FEMA didn’t react with urgency when they found out about the formaldehyde levels in the trailers, in what amounts to a cover-up.

What about the makers of the trailers, who put these products out onto the market with such dangerous levels of formaldehyde? Someone should definitely go to jail for this.

Link [Treehugger]
Photo credit: Flickr user szlea

Sorry Hurricane Katrina Survivors, You’re Not Worthy of Nice Housing

Boy, this is a real WTF moment. You’d think that Katrina survivors have been through enough. They managed to make it through one of the worst natural disasters in our nation’s history, though many of them lost friends and family members as well as their homes, businesses and communities.

We all know about the embarrassing debacle that was the aftermath, what with FEMA’s brilliant ‘assistance’. Then, these poor schleps were housed in toxic trailers full of mold and formaldehyde. In an effort to quickly move families out of the trailers and into safer housing, FEMA has developed colorful ‘Mississippi Cottages’, which are being touted as a cheap, efficient solution - and for the most part, people are thrilled.

Local municipalities, however, have an objection: they’re ‘too nice’.

From the New York Times:

They fear people who get cottages will simply live in them and not rebuild their houses, said Mike Womack, executive director of the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.

“They’re too nice,” he said. “I’ve heard this over and over again.”

Too bad for you, Katrina victims - you’re just not good enough for these little $32,000 cottages. Back to the toxic death boxes you go!

Link [New York Times] via [Treehugger]

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons & Lori Waselchuk for The New York Times