FEMA Housing Coming Slowly For Texas Hurricane Victims

Remember all the consternation over the lack of FEMA housing provided after Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and Louisiana? As billions of dollars poured into the communities surrounding New Orleans the cry was too late and never enough.

Now in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike, the response has been much less both by the press and FEMA. Of the 4,000 families in unlivable homes that are requesting FEMA trailers, only 208 have been given out.

Now I am not expecting the government to fix all ills, but the response in the Texas cities has been tepid in comparison to that of Katrina. Would you chalk this up to politics or lack of press attention?

Local leaders have pleaded publicly about a housing crisis for weeks, distraught at FEMA’s inability to provide temporary homes. As of Thursday, 208 FEMA mobile homes and park model trailers had been installed and were occupied by residents whose homes were left unlivable by Ike’s Sept. 13 landfall.

Orange County leaders have said they need about 4,000 mobile homes or trailers. Jefferson and Chambers County have said they each have about 1,000 unlivable homes. Galveston County has said it needs as many as 2,000 housing units.

Poe, whose district includes Jefferson County and parts of Liberty and Harris counties, spoke with FEMA head R. David Paulson on Friday, urging the federal agency to increase its efforts.

Brady met Saturday in Beaumont with representatives from FEMA and Entergy Texas, the power company for much of the four-county coastal area.

U.S. reps enter push for FEMA housing >> www.beaumontenterprise.com – Local.