FEMA closes Katrina housing

HAMMOND, La. – FEMA abruptly closed down a site housing Hurricane Katrina victims Sunday because of health and safety concerns, and its weary residents said they were being left in the lurch once again since losing everything in the storm.

A 48-hour deadline to leave fell on Sunday night, and FEMA scrambled to find new places for the 58 households.

Although many residents said they would have been happy to keep living there, the Federal Emergency Management Agency determined it was too risky because of ongoing problems with raw sewage and periodic power outages.

“They know how to put me out, but they don’t know how to help me out. That’s how I look at it,” Allsee Tobias said about FEMA. He lost his home in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans to post-Katrina flooding. “Pack and pray. That’s what they told us.”

About 20 of his family members, including 10 children, lived in four trailers, and they were anxious about FEMA splitting them up.

FEMA spokesman Manuel Broussard said, “This is a very quick, decisive move because of concern for the residents.”

By late Sunday, 48 of the 58 households had places to go to, with many of those households moving on to other FEMA sites, the agency said. The 10 remaining were still in search of housing, Broussard said.

Residents said they questioned the genuineness of the sudden concern for their health because the stink of sewage has been a nuisance for about a year.

“It’s very unhealthy. The question is why did it take a year?” said Ron Harrell.

Besides the sewage that pours onto the grass, FEMA said electricity was cut off last week for the third time since Oct. 12. Broussard said the landowners had not paid the bills on time. Frank Bonner, a co-owner of the site, said FEMA has not paid on time.