FEMA should employ creative solutions and waive guidelines to allow temporary housing units to be placed in coastal Louisiana, particularly in Cameron Parish, where some people have resorted to living in tents in the wake of Hurricane Ike, Louisiana Recovery Authority Executive Director Paul Rainwater requested Tuesday night. Rainwater was appointed by Republican Governor Bobby Jindal and replaced Andy Kopplin as Executive Director who was appointed by former Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco, a Democrat.
"We have made a series of urgent requests to FEMA, but they simply are not moving quickly enough to help our people. In south Louisiana, families must live in coastal parishes because of their important jobs with the oil and gas and seafood industries, which are critical to both our state and national economies. FEMA will not offer them temporary housing to do so because of its obstinate adherence to guidelines it could waive," Rainwater said. "When people are living in tents to be close to their jobs, does it really matter if they live in an 'A' flood zone or a 'V' flood zone? What matters is that they need housing."
Rainwater, who serves as Governor Jindal's Authorized Representative to FEMA, included in this most recent letter to FEMA Administrator R. David Paulison 22 pages outlining weeks of state and parish requests to FEMA for housing assistance. This urgent request comes after weeks of meetings, conference calls and correspondence, required by FEMA, in an attempt to solicit a strategy for housing hurricane Gustav and Ike-displaced residents whose homes were destroyed. According to FEMA's disaster housing plan, the state must lead a task force of federal, state and local officials to come up with housing solutions. The LRA has worked in conjunction with leaders from Cameron, Calcasieu, Iberia, Lafourche, Jefferson and Terrebonne parishes to make Louisiana's case for temporary housing units.
FEMA will not allow temporary housing units in 'V' flood zones and is using newly released Digital Flood Insurance Rating Maps (DFIRMs) to determine flood zones. The maps were released as parishes were dealing with Gustav and Ike and the parishes have not had time to fully review and appeal their maps. In Cameron Parish, FEMA will not provide temporary housing units on private property because 83 percent of the parish is a "V" zone.
If FEMA used the Advisory Based Flood Elevation (ABFE) maps, which parishes adopted in the aftermath of Katrina and Rita, only around 30 percent of Cameron parish would be a 'V' zone and FEMA would be able to put temporary housing units, including park models and mobile homes, which did not have the formaldehyde problems associated with travel trailers after the 2005 storms, on most private property, allowing families to live in their communities, near their jobs, while they rebuild their homes. Rainwater also suggested to FEMA that if hurricane season was a concern, the agency could use ABFEs during a transitional period for six months to allow temporary units to house people immediately while longer-term solutions are debated.
"FEMA is clinging to a rule that doesn't make sense in a critical disaster situation. The policy written in Washington D.C. doesn't match the need on the ground," Rainwater said.
Instead, FEMA proposes housing Cameron Parish residents in Calcasieu Parish through the Disaster Housing Assistance Program, which relies on placing families in rental housing. However, Calcasieu Parish has its own housing crisis and only 200 available rental units, Many of these Cameron Parish families would have unreasonable commutes to their jobs in the critical oil and gas industry. Further, not allowing them temporary housing units on their property will slow the process of rebuilding their homes.
Yeah, well if Piyush were advocating STRONGCONCRETE this wouldn't even be an issue... Not only from wave surge action reduction perspectives, but from a modular housing standpoint as well....... Some Rhodes Scholar... Duhhhhhhhhh, and FEMA be damned I say...... If you can't work with them, at least be allowed to work around them, through them, or over them........ Written by
on 10/29/2008
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